Anyone Else
by ncisduckie
Summary: After an enlightening interview with Ren Tsuruga on Yappa Kimagure Rock, Kyoko's world is turned upside down. She makes a devastating admission that begs the question: how far is Ren willing to go to capture her heart? IN-PROGRESS! Please R&R!
1. The Chicken's Decree

**The Chicken's Decree**

**. . .**

He guessed he should have known better; Kyoko was very busy recently and probably didn't have time for something like this. A variety show because for the next few days, his schedule was still rather lax because of finishing shooting Tragic Marker earlier than expected. He looked at the message one last time before shutting his phone off:

_Sorry, Tsuruga-san! I have another obligation during that time slot. Good luck tonight!_

Then again... she was probably still upset with him. They hadn't left off on what he could qualify as 'good terms,' he didn't think. Perhaps it was best that she couldn't make it. Explaining their misunderstandings wasn't something he should have done on a variety show. He should have done it face to face.

Kyoko-as-Bo spotted her guest as she left her dressing room and was hit with an immediate wave of guilt. Tsuruga Ren. She felt bad because he tried to invite her to the taping...maybe to clear the air between them or maybe to apologize. But she'd never know because she couldn't drop being Bo on such short notice. The least she could do was offer some sort of comradery...he looked somewhere between frustrated and upset. She hoped it wasn't still because of her. She approached as quietly as she could and ducked to meet his gaze. "Yo."

"What...what are you doing in this neck of the woods?" Seeing the chicken in this side of TBM... fate must be telling him to talk it over with the chicken.

She snorted. She couldn't help it! Leave it to him to completely not know what show Yashiro scheduled him on. No, that's not fair. She doesn't remember ever telling him what show Bo worked on. "You're on my show, didn't you know?" She asked cheekily.

Ren blinked. "You're the mascot on Yappa Kimagure Rock?" He tried to rethink what Yashiro had told him before he left to pick up Kyoko. Bridge Rock hosted the show...but nobody said anything about a big chicken. _Wouldn't that have been an important note_? "At least I have one friendly face to look forward to."

"Oh, you shouldn't worry about that. Bridge Rock are all very friendly," Kyoko replied sagely. "Besides, you're agency family. They couldn't be hard on you even if they wanted to."

"That's true." He rubbed a hand over his face. _Did that mean Bo is also an LME talent?_ He'd have to remember to ask Sawara-san about that later. He forced a smile looked to his chicken friend. "Do you have any hints about what your hosts might play tonight."

Kyoko smiled and waved her wing. "No, go, Tsuruga-san. That's classified stuff right there." Technically… it wasn't. However, she knew if she told him what they were playing, he was more likely to leave.

"Oh, Bo. There you are!" They turned to find a stagehand stepping from the studio. "We were just about to tell you to retrieve Tsuruga-san but it looks like you're already on top of that. We're about to start the pre-show huddle." He pointed to the studio.

Ren smiled. "My apologies. We were just catching up. I'm sorry for making Bo late." Kyoko turned, about to protest wildly but if she did, she knew she would end up revealing herself. Now not only the stagehand would get the wrong impression but also... no. That's about it. She was resolved to allow Tsuruga-san to guide her through the studio doors. "Excuse us."

The stagehand watched with wide eyes. There were rumors around LME that Kyoko was friendly with Tsuruga Ren...but he didn't expect them to be so close that they would hide and "catch up" in odd hallways outside dressing rooms. People could easily get the wrong impression. _Best to keep this to myself_, he thought.

. . .

The first half of the show went exactly as he thought it would. Bridge Rock was polite and cordial and kept their questions directed around his work. Yes, he had to skirt around his absence when he worked as Cain but the lie came easy. It also helped that Bo ended up creating the most wonderful distractions at just the right time.

If Ren didn't know any better, he would have thought that Bo had all these interruptions lined up for whenever the questions turned in the wrong direction. It wasn't possible, of course. For that to happen Bo would have needed to know his secrets.

It was the second part of the show that scared him. All he was told that he would play a question game with the hosts but there wasn't a hint as to what that game might be. When Bo escorted him back onto the set after the commercial, a knot grew in his stomach. _Really_?

Bo practically had to drag him to his position. "It's okay, Tsuruga-san. Nothing too weird, I promise."

For a moment, Ren blanked out because the voice sounded so unbelievably like Kyoko. Except that was probably because he couldn't stop thinking of her. She wasn't here. She had a job. "Welcome to Truth or Dare! The game where we—well you surely know the drill?" Hikaru started, forcing Ren from his thoughts as he settled down on the ground where the stage was set to look like a sleepover. He turned to Ren. "So, Tsuruga-san, truth or dare?"

Ren braced himself before diving in. "Truth."

The host smiled. He was supposed to start with an easy one. It was actually a question Kyoko helpfully provided during the show prep. "Is it true that you're friends with Bo, here?"

He laughed, relaxing into the scene. Perhaps all the questions would be this easy. But he knew he wouldn't luck out like that. "Of course! Bo is my very best friend, I'll have you know. We talk all the time." The audience laughed, buying into the joke (that was definitely not a joke). To his right, Bo cheered, fanning themselves with their wing, as if swooning.

The round continued as each host answered their own round of the game. Some of them indulged in some gossip. Others, like Bo, played games for their dares. They probably made Bo's decision because he didn't speak on the show. Ren found himself smiling as the game continued, even as it circled back to him.

"Truth or Dare?" Yuusei asked, turning to Ren with a devilish grin. The actor was far too predictable, leaving him open for the discussion of gossip (pre-approved by the studio gossip, but gossip nonetheless).

Ren groaned inwardly. "Truth," he said as evenly as he could.

"Are you dating Kana-san?"

And there it was. The paparazzi picture filled the screen behind the group and Ren sighed. Bo let out an undignified squawk and shook Ren. The subtext was obvious: _Please! Say it isn't so!_

Inside the suit, Kyoko barely kept onto her character. While she's known about the photograph...he never gave her a straight and answer. He's either an actual playboy or has a lot of explaining to do. _Mr. Not Involved with Anybody_, _my ass_, Kyoko thought bitterly. This picture totally proved otherwise. She couldn't help feeling a little ticked off.

Ren laughs, pulling away from Bo's feathery rage. "Ah, no. That picture is a bit out of context. She kissed me out of the blue...I don't particularly know why." He shrugged and straightened out his clothes. "I'm not dating anybody at the moment."

Yuusei clapped his hands, tilting his head to the audience. "Hear that, everyone? You still have a chance to end up with _The _Tsuruga Ren!" The women cheered and even Kyoko had Bo dance a little. Though the answer was acceptable... she was pretty sure Bo would be happy with his admission. The round continued as the boys and Bo completed their turns. This time Bo was forced to howl like a wolf...which only confused Ren. It must have been some sort of inside joke.

Attention turned back to Ren. His turn. Shinichi turned to Tsuruga-san with a grin. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

Hikaru laughed. "Tsuruga-san! You know it's not very fun if you keep asking for the Truth. Then it's just a regular interview!" He motioned to Bo, who nodded sagely. "See? Even Bo agrees!"

"You're right. So I will change my answer to Dare." He braced himself. After watching Bo perform his dares...he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be taking part in a dare. He would do it, though, if he had to. It's not like they would make him do anything that would ruin his career.

Yuusei leaned forward, a mischievous grin crossing his face. "We dare you to tell us if you're interested in anybody. Romantically, of course."

Ren blinked. He laughed, settling farther into his beanbag chair. He'd seen the question coming. It always did. "If you were just going to say that, why couldn't I have chosen 'Truth?'"

It was the last question they were given before the segment was supposed to end. It wouldn't matter though. Tsuruga always dodged the question. Yuusei shrugged. "Dramatic effect?"

"Fair enough." Ren considered the question, his eyes flickering to the audience. He didn't know why. Kyoko wouldn't be there; she said she was busy. So maybe...maybe it was all right to admit this now? So it would be easier if/when he built up the courage to open a dialogue with her. "I'll say... yes. There is."

The studio fell deathly quiet.

"I would remind everybody that I am not dating her. But she's very important to me." Ren relaxed, letting out a silent sigh. Suddenly he felt like his father declaring his love for Juli. If he was not careful, this would get out of hand really quick. "She's helped me through the impossible, from helping me capture my Katsuki for Dark Moon to guiding me through a few private matters."

Shinchi was the first to recover. "Well, I think she sounds like a heck of a girl."

Ren smiled. One of his genuine ones that left even Bridge Rock a bit breathless. "She is."

"Well, that's all the time we have for tonight. We'd like to thank you, Tsuruga-san, for taking time out of your busy schedule for us."

The show continued with its outro but Kyoko could hardly focus. Even though she felt herself run through the motions of her final bow...she wasn't in control of her movements. She was a ghost outside her body. Her mind kept circling back to Tsuruga-san's admission.

Because no matter how she tried to think it through-there was only one person that fit the description of this "heck of a girl." But, no. It was impossible.

There was no way that Tsuruga Ren was in love with her.

. . .

Ren can't help himself; when the show wrapped, he wandered through the halls until he found himself outside Bo's dressing room. There's something about them that...that was different tonight. Except he can't quite figure it out. He poises his hand to knock but stops when cries from inside the dressing room force him to freeze.

He knew that crying.

_It couldn't be_.

A million thoughts circled through his head. Only one mattered. If Bo is really...who he thought it was...does that mean she's known about his feelings this whole time? No. Because she wouldn't have told him as Bo to seduce the girl if she knew she was the recipient of his feelings. She didn't do love. At least, not with him.

Taking a steadying breath, he pushed the door open. And there she was. Kyoko Mogami in all her glory collapsed beside her discarded Bo costume. She didn't even flinch when the door opened. All of his apprehension flew from his body at the sight of her. Ren stepped in and closed the door behind him. "Mogami-san?"

For a moment he thought she wouldn't answer. She just sat there continuing to cry. Not cry. _Sob_. He couldn't think of a time when he's seen her cry this much. It was worse than when he found her after the interview with her mother. Worse than when he helped her when they were children.

Worse, because he had no chance of comforting her.

It stunned Kyoko to see the man himself enter her dressing room without so much as a knock. Perhaps if she was in a different mindset...she would berate him for entering a room that might as well housed a woman in the middle of changing. Though Tsuruga certainly had no way of knowing a woman played Bo and he couldn't have expected it was _her_.

She'd collapsed as soon as she pulled herself from Bo's sturdy costume. And she was faced with the reality that the girl Tsuruga-san was talking about was her. Because it wasn't supposed to be possible. It was never supposed to be her.

Finally, Kyoko looked up. Her eyes were rimmed with red and snot dribbled from her nose. She didn't wipe it away...just stared at him miserably. "All this time? It's been... it's been... me?" She choked on the last word, breaking eye contact.

"Yes?"

There was no good way for this discussion to happen. This shouldn't be done in a dressing room. Yet, there they were. There was no stopping the inevitable. Not when it was threatening to burst for so long.

"You would love a plan and boring girl like me? When you have access to all that shines? All that's beautiful?" She scoffed, choking on her tears. It was unbelievable. Too good to be true. So she refused to believe it. "Why would you ever stoop as low as me?"

"Mogami-san, please-" He knelt beside her. _Please look at me_. He could not speak. All he could do was sit beside her. If he touched her now, he was sure she would never forgive him.

She shook her head and scooted an inch away. "I've been so stupid; I thought my heart was safe because... because there was no way you could ever lo-" Kyoko's hands curled into fists. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She couldn't say that now!_ A groan escaped her lips. "I'm a miserable excuse for a girl and an actress."

"Mogami-san-"

"I promised him! Did you know that? I promised Sho I would _never_ lose sight of my dream and lose my heart to Tsuruga Ren. And I thought I was safe. Because there was no way you'd ever love me back." She continued without allowing him to reply to her babbling. Deep down, she knew her heartbreak would worsen if she allowed him to speak.

Ren flinched. _There was no way you'd ever love me back_. He couldn't celebrate this declaration that she loved him. Not when she was crying. He tried interrupting again. "Moga-"

No use. She continued as if she couldn't hear him. "He'll force me back to Kyoto to repent my sin. My mother and his gave me permission to stay but...but I can't back down on a promise." The floor she stared at was blurry because of her tears. And yet she couldn't stop crying. "You wouldn't love me, then. A plain waitress in a Japanese inn. You'd be stupid if you did."

"If you have to return to Kyoto, I will follow you." He couldn't hold back anymore. If she was going to ignore rationality, he could at least attempt to help her. Ren reached out and placed a hand on her back. To his surprise, she didn't move. Though it seemed she didn't even register that he touched her. He rubbed slow circles and spoke softly. "Mogami-san, I'll even learn to become a waiter if you'll be with me."

Now she flinched away, pulling her arms around her torso. _God, it hurt to hear him say sweet nothings like that. As if she mattered. _"Don't make jokes like that," she spat.

"I'm not joking. Kyoko-"

Kyoko jumped up, her eyes wide as she looked to him. "Don't!" She shook her head furiously. "Don't call me that!"

Her screeches lingered in the air. Neither of them spoke. Ren stayed on his knees, unable to look away. She stood, barely. Her legs were noodles and if she stayed there any longer she would end up on the ground again. And that simply wouldn't do. She needed to get out of there. Sooner rather than later. She pulled in a deep breath and closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at him. "I wish..."

"That you never made that promise?" Ren supplemented hopefully. He thought he could handle it. Now? He wished he never went searching for Bo. He wished that he never opened his big mouth back on the show; he wouldn't have ever said anything if he knew Kyoko was Bo.

She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. She opened them to meet his gaze carefully and for a moment; he hoped that she would calm down. Kyoko had a tendency to shift emotions rather fast. However, he couldn't have ever predicted her next words:

"I wish you were anybody but Tsuruga Ren."

Kyoko grabbed her bag and bolted as soon as the words left her mouth. Ren sat, dazed for a moment before he was finally able to process what she'd said. He jumped up and swung the door open, looking down both sides of the hall.

But she was already gone.

**~End Chapter One~**

**A/N: My apologies for the lack of an author note at the beginning of the chapter! And for the very vague summary. And the fake title. To make a LONG story short, this is dedicated to ASubtleCuddle who told me very specifically not to warn her when I ended up using this plot-line. As soon as she finds this, I'll be updating the summary + title! *jazz hands***

**I figured I'd whip this out while she's distracted with the novel-draft I sent her. She's helped me through so much (personal and writing wise) and I can't even express how much I appreciate her. So this one's for her! My first ever Skip Beat! multi-chapter fic!**

**It's probably going to be a bit more angsty, melodramatic, and a bit more OOC than my usual stuff. But let's have some fun, okay?**

**Note: I have no idea what actual shenanigans are played during variety shows.**

**As usual:**

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review!**


	2. The Prelude to Disaster

**The Prelude to Disaster**

**A/N: I cannot begin to thank everybody for their support for the first chapter! I've honestly been a blubbering mess between everybody's kind words and just like everything going on in life. I know this story is gonna be a little weird and a little indulgent but hopefully y'all are in for the long haul. Because I think this is going to be a fun one. **

**. . . **

Kyoko didn't know if she felt guilty or suspicious for successfully avoiding Tsuruga-san for the next two weeks. Considering they were technically supposed to be "sharing" a manager due to some contrived plan from the President, it seemed rather unlikely that they wouldn't cross paths for so long. Tsuruga-san could probably handle himself for a couple of days. A few weeks, though? It was a statistical improbability. He probably would end up working himself ragged.

Yes, she was relieved. But she also couldn't help sensing the impending sense of doom that lingered in the air. Someone, somewhere, was planning something. And she was going to get to the bottom of it.

"Moko-san! We have a mission!" Kyoko hollered as she burst into the Love Me section. Yashiro said she time to socialize (a first in so long) and this was definitely her one chance to figure out exactly what the president was planning.

She froze in the doorframe. Moko-san left for America the other day...Kyoko had totally forgotten. And Chiori was filming a guest appearance somewhere. Technically, this room should have been empty.

It wasn't.

Hidden in the back corner of the lockers was a person that sent Kyoko's stomach plummeting to the ground. Specifically, a male figure very familiar to her. But not. _No way. _"H-Hello?"

The man turned to face her and her brain short-circuited for a brief moment. Despite all her mental calculations, there was no way this man was Tsuruga Ren. _It couldn't be_. Not only was this man blond with brilliant green eyes that reminded her of Corn but he was also wearing...the dreaded uniform that left an awful impression on the brain. The Love Me! Section uniform. He smiled and nearly took out her grudges with its brilliance; Kyoko had to pinch herself to remember that this was _not_ the senpai she was supposed to be in love with. It was someone else entirely. The man bowed politely. "Hello! It's nice to finally meet you, Kyoko-senpai."

Her cheeks burst into flames. He tried to hide it under a foreigner's accent to match the blond hair. But she knew it now. This man was, without a doubt, Tsuruga Ren. His voice vaguely resembled that when he played Cain Heel. It also reminded her of someone else...someone she couldn't quite recall. Which was a shame because it seemed an important comparison.

"Don't-Don't call me that," she managed when she remembered to breathe again. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as her face returned to its normal color.

He blinked, tilting his head to study the girl in front of him. As expected...she reacted just like she normally did. However, she would be unable to talk her way out of this. He hoped. "Don't call you what, Kyoko-senpai?" He asked innocently, like a stranger. He was...kind of.

"That!" Kyoko's face remained steadily pink. How long could he keep up this act? Certainly, he would break like last time when he was Cain Heel. _Or, perhaps_...her heart clenched. _Perhaps this was his way of reacting to her cold words_. _Her punishment_. When she brought herself to speak again, it was with less conviction than before. "Don't call me 'senpai' or say my name so familiarly! You're-" She faltered. "You're... a stranger."

He flinched at her words. _You're a stranger_. Obviously, she recognized him. And still, she spoke these biting words. Perhaps this wasn't as good an idea as he had thought. "But-But isn't your stage name 'Kyoko?' The kanji for 'child from Kyoto,' no? What else should I call you, if not 'senpai?'"

Kyoko gaped. "Moga-" she hesitated and her surname fizzled from her lips. _Mogami-san, like you've always called me. _But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Until she knew more about whoever Tsuruga was pretending to be... She couldn't risk telling him to call her Mogami. Tsuruga Ren was the only one that called her that and if this was supposed to be another secret role like Cain...she couldn't ruin it with something as stupid as a name. No matter what she felt. She huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't know, just not that."

"Then how about Kyoko-cha-"

"No!" Kyoko screeched. Even with his slight foreigner's accent, she could still hear the lingering sound of Tsuruga's voice. And she wouldn't be able to bear it to hear _that_ voice say her name so intimately...especially considering how cruelly she spoke to him to protect her heart. She deflated and spoke to the linoleum. "Kyoko-senpai is fine."

He hesitated. While he had planned on teasing Kyoko until she allowed him to call her by her name, he'd forgotten that he might render her upset. No, not forgotten. Completely ignored the fact. He was right; this wasn't a good idea after all. But it was too late. He was already in too deep and there was no way Lory would let him back out now. "I'm sorry," he whispered, defaulting to his 'normal' voice.

That got her attention. Kyoko looked to him curiously as her embarrassment faded. For someone who was pretending to be someone else, he gave up his identity to her quite easily. _Hmph_. She wouldn't let him back out of this so easily. He had a reason for doing this and she was determined to figure out _why_. Kyoko pulled her shoulders back and met his gaze directly. "If I'm supposed to be your senpai, that makes you my kohai." She arched a brow. "So, what's your name, kohai?"

"Kuon," he said softly, not meeting her eyes. He didn't want to see her reaction. She was much sharper than everybody else and would inevitably put the halves of his identity together. Just like all the times before. In any moment...

However, his apprehensions had no grounding. Kyoko's brain was so muddled simply seeing Tsuruga's transformation that she was unable to wrap her mind around this new odd situation, much less connect Tsuruga's 'Kuon' with Kuon Hizuri.

"Ku-on-san?" Kyoko bit her lip and her bravado wavered. It wasn't lost on her that 'Kuon' is the name she'd mistaken for 'Corn' when she was working with Hizuri-san. Perhaps this was his way of torturing her-picking a name he'd known was important to her. But he wouldn't win. Character or not, she wouldn't be calling him by his first name. "What about your last name?"

He shook his head. "No last name. I wanted to be like Kyoko-senpai and use just my first name as a stage name."

"But-" She struggled. He was making this very hard on her. Worse, he was making fun of her need for formality. Kyoko bit her lip and narrowed her eyes. "That's very informal."

"You can call me 'Kuon,' Kyoko-senpai. I don't mind." When he had imagined this conversation, he didn't anticipate the guilt coursing through his body. It was supposed to be teasing. Instead, it felt like he was just digging the knife she'd left that night in Bo's dressing room farther in his chest. He'd never meant to hurt her. Honest.

"I can't-" Her argument died on her tongue. Normally, she would justify the distance she placed between them with the boundaries of a senpai/kohai relationship. There was no way she could refer to an esteemed colleague so familiarly. In this case, though, with the roles reversed... It wasn't a good argument, was it?

"Kuon-kun, if you prefer to use honorifics." He said.

"I-" She narrowed her eyes. He was driving her into a corner with this name thing. Kyoko shook her head. He wouldn't win. Not now. She set her jaw and crossed her arms. Turning her nose up, she rolled her eyes. "Kuon-_san_ is fine, thank you."

At least he was right to anticipate _that_ decision. Yet the only thing that proved is that she's unfortunately set in her ways. Once again he thought: _I was stupid to think this would work_. "If that's what you'd prefer," he said politely.

She nodded. "It is."

They stood in the empty Love Me! section room in complete silence and stared at each other. _What were they supposed to do now?_

Kyoko had only come today to get to the bottom of Tsuruga's plan. And now, it seemed that she figured that out (at least, part of it; she still had to determine the _why_) without even trying. What would have happened if she didn't storm in today? When would she have figured out that Tsuruga Ren was charading as Kuon, last name pending?

The thought was enough to shake her from the moment. She didn't want to be here any longer. And if she knew anything about Tsrugua Ren, he would leave her to her thoughts if that's what she wanted. She could count on that. She hoped.

"It was nice meeting you, Kuon-san," Kyoko said suddenly. The silence only made things worse. So, she dipped out of the room before he could respond.

She was right. He simply watched as she left and didn't dare follow.

. . .

Yashiro pulled Kyoko into an empty conference room shortly after he picked her up outside the Love Me! Room. She'd had an odd expression on her face since he found her. Perhaps it had to do with what Sawara was telling him when he picked up her recent requests. "I heard from Sawara-san that there's a new Love Me! Member. Have you met her yet?"

Kyoko flinched, unsure of why he pulled her aside just to ask _that_. Unless...he knew something about the so-called introduction she'd just had with "Kuon." She'd thought she'd kept her face rather collected after the ordeal. Apparently not. "Him," she corrected.

"What?" He blinked. _Surely she didn't just say what he thought she said_? Except he definitely heard right.

"The new member. He's a guy," Kyoko repeated, feigning disinterest. She wasn't about to let Tsuruga Ren get under her skin. She still had work to do that day.

"Really?" It was exactly his worst nightmare, next to Kyoko never reciprocating Ren's feelings. President Takarada certainly had a sick sense of humor by bringing a male stranger into the situation. He hoped news of this new addition to the section wouldn't make it to Ren, wherever he was. "So, I take it you met him?"

She remained quiet. Certainly, Yashiro had known about his charge's convoluted plan. What kind of manager would he be if he didn't know what Tsuruga-san had planned? "Say, Yashiro-san, have you seen Tsuruga-san lately?"

"I-Uh, didn't you say you didn't want to see him for the foreseeable future? After the Yappa Kimagure Rock, no?" His breath caught and his anxiety about the situation twisted in his chest. _This came out of nowhere_. He didn't have to explain that his charge was technically MIA. "Where'd the change of heart come from?"

_Bingo_, Kyoko thought triuphantly. "I thought, perhaps, that it was time to clear the air between us. I can't hold my grudge against him...I'll never graduate from Love Me! if I can't prove I can forgive people for the stupid things they say."

_Stupid things_, Yashiro thought wearily. It wasn't even an outright confession and she'd already compartmentalized the sentiment as 'stupid.' He'd really wished Ren had told him more about that night beyond her identity as Bo, the show's mascot chicken. Something happened that night. And neither of them wanted to talk about it. So much that Ren...

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "If I could tell you, I would, Kyoko-chan. But I can't."

The words of a man hiding something, she decided. "Can't? Or won't?"

"Can't." He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "I really don't know where he is. Right after...right after that night, Ren said that he needed to leave for personal business. Something that existed beyond the realm of what he could do as 'Tsuruga Ren.'"

"Because that's just his stage name?" She guessed before the thought could fully register in her brain. Immediately, her hands jumped to her lips. Spoke too quickly.

Yashiro flinched as if he'd been slapped. "He _told _you that?" He didn't tell anybody that. Even Yashiro had to figure it out himself. And it was a conclusion that took almost a year of being at the man's side 24/7.

"Uh...I don't think he intended to. But it came out in Karuizawa when Reino was threatening me."

"Well, I guess, if you know that much...it's okay to say..." He narrowed his eyes and watched Kyoko intently. He was sudddenly thankful that he had the foresight to drag them into one of the places in LME where they had no audience. But that was less because he was hiding secrets and more that he needed to quell Kyoko's odd expression before her next job. "What I'm about to tell you...you can _never_ repeat it. Not without Ren's permission. Or the President's."

"I thought you didn't know where Tsuruga-san was," she accused. _It was exactly as she'd thought_! Yashiro was in on this silly Kuon business!

"Oh, I don't. But...I'm worried about him. He's been my charge for years but even then, he doesn't say much about his personal life. Maybe a few hints every now and then to sate my curiosity but not much... Especially in interviews, he won't dare to talk about his past. It's as if his life only started with the inception of Tsuruga Ren.

"If something happened that forced him to pull away from his identity as 'Ren,' I assume it's nothing short of an emergency. A matter of life-and-death, perhaps?" He sighed. "Wherever he went... I hope he's alright."

"An emergency?" She bit her lip. It couldn't have been an emergency if the man was charading as 'Kuon' in the Love Me! room. However, if Yashiro didn't know about his charge's new identity, she wasn't going to be the one to say anything. She learned her lesson as Setsu. Tsuruga had to have a reason for this. "I'm sure he's fine. Next thing you know, he'll be back in action."

"I hope so. I had to cancel all his engagements for the next six months. I have some very pissed off people on my hands and would love if he came back early," Yashiro sighed, resigning himself that this may very well be the end of both his and Ren's careers. Ren's reputation as the 'perfect gentleman' would probably be ruined because of his speedy departure from Tokyo. It was something he definitely didn't like thinking about.

Kyoko scrunched her nose. "Six months?" That was certainly a long time. However, Yashiro didn't respond. Instead, he led her out from their conference room and into the stairwell. There was no longer time to discuss Tsuruga-san; they had things to do. And they would be late if he let her think too long. She didn't mind, of course. Dwelling on the situation wasn't going to do her any good.

She walked quietly beside Yashiro, gnawing on her lip as they walked down to the parking structure to his car. Certainly...certainly he wasn't doing this...for her? Wasn't that the last thing she said to him? _I wish you were anybody but Tsuruga Ren_. But that was impossible. He'd have to actually care for her to do something as crazy as this.

And she was no longer in the business of hoping for fairytales.

. . .

Whatever the situation with Tsuruga-san was, Kyoko still wasn't going to let herself dwell on it. She had work to focus on. More than enough work, it seemed most days. When the press release for Lotus went live Kyoko found herself juggling a lot more offers than she was used to. It wasn't technically her debut but the sheer number of them dumbfounded her. If it wasn't for Yashiro-san, she was sure she would have keeled over and rejected them all.

Luckily, she did have him. So, they worked together to create a variety of different roles for her to play with. Since the producer of Lotus was known for his aversion to talents, Yashiro had her lean into her role at LME as a Talent, though the only experience she had in that area was with Bo.

And talent work aside, she was also encouraged to maintain her reputation as a bully actress since Momiji was (technically) in the same realm. Which led her to her job that day.

It was almost a full month since she'd seen Tsuruga in the Love Me! Room and nobody had brought it up again. She didn't ever run into him and it seemed that Yashiro-san truly had no idea that the new Love Me! Member was actually his charge in disguise.

Kyoko allowed herself to relax that morning. She was guest starring on a teen drama, playing a bully that would ultimately motivate the main character to toughen up for the impending story climax. The director had insisted that they were looking for Natsu with a little less refinement. And she could manage that.

She'd thought.

Tsuruga Ren would be disappointed with her. One of the things she needed to accomplish as an actress, especially as a visitor on set, was looking into the regular cast members. That way she could anticipate any potential troubles before making it to set. Of course, she'd been so confident that the job would be an easy in-and-out that checking the cast list had completely slipped her mind (and besides! She was so busy that she almost never had free time anymore!).

That was her first mistake.

After the director introduced her to the lead actors, she found herself surrounded by a number of extras. Yashiro had left to set her things in her dressing room and get her things ready and she'd thought she could handle introductions on her own. She was wrong.

She didn't recognize many of the faces of the crowd that surrounded her, though she did recognize some of the crew members from previous jobs. But she didn't focus on them. Instead, she focused on the tall frame that stepped from the mob. The tall, very blonde person who stepped in front of her with the most dazzling, brilliant smile. She would have flinched if they didn't have an audience.

_There was no way this was happening_. Either Yashiro knew more about Ren's Kuon charade than she had concluded, or fate had a stupid way of throwing the two of them together when she didn't want to see him. She'd just gotten comfortable. And here he was, anyway.

"It's a pleasure to work with you today, Kyoko-senpai."

Kyoko's body shook. Her hands curled into fists at her sides as she watched Tsuruga-as-Kuon bow politely at her as if she was actually his senior instead of the other way around. _This was infuriating_! "I hate you so much," she whispered.

That was her second mistake.

**~End Chapter Two~**

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review! **


	3. Stalemate

**Stalemate**

**A/N: I'm rewarding myself for hitting my writing goals by...doing more writing. Ah, well, Camp NaNoWriMo is in session and I have officially finished rewriting the first act of my novel! Only FOUR MORE ACTS TO WRITE! **

**My personal writing aside, thank you all for the kindness and enthusiasm circling this story! I feel the love in my heart and keep all reviews close to me! 3 Please continue to enjoy! **

**. . .**

Her words came out harsher than she expected, though they were barely louder than a whisper. It didn't matter, her voice carried, regardless. The studio fell deathly silent and Kyoko could feel the eyes of set fall on her figure. She'd said the wrong thing, of course, but it was too late to fix it. The deed had already been done. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it; I know you didn't mean it," Kuon said it easily but his expression said the opposite. He's known Kyoko hadn't seemed all too thrilled when he revealed his new (well, not really) persona. Except the way she acted, it seemed she hated 'Kuon' more than she hated 'Tsuruga Ren.' Which wasn't ideal, considering the circumstances.

Kyoko hated to see her senpai with that expression-and if the situation was any different, she would grovel at his feet begging for his forgiveness. But this wasn't her esteemed senpai, the man she loved; this wasn't even the number one actor in Japan. This was supposed to be 'Kuon,' a nobody talento. People might suspect something was up if she did something like that to someone ranking lower than her at the agency. Worse, they'd think they had a history—and while that was tangentially true-it might reveal the truth about 'Kuon.'

Which left her unable to do more than bow politely and scamper off to track down Yashiro-san. It'd be harder for her to get in trouble with the capable manager at her side, she thought. Then she could get this job over with and move on with her day.

The downside was that this shoot was supposed to take all day.

_Yashiro-san, where are you_, she groaned internally. Kyoko hurried through the studio, scanning the different people looking for her pseudo-manager. He was unfortunately nowhere to be found.

"_Look at her, walking around like she's actually important._"

Kyoko's ears perked up as she passed the lead actresses for the drama. _They had to be talking about her_. It wasn't just the spotlight effect or her anxiety; she knew it for a fact. She'd been bullied enough times through middle school to know when girls were talking about her.

"_Yeah, I knew we couldn't buy the cast interviews where they said she's the complete opposite of her characters. She's a total bitch._"

One girl snickered, not even trying to be discreet. _"For sure. That's why she's typecast as the villain all the time. Nobody truly nice could play a demon like Mio."_

"_Or a snob like Natsu_."

She didn't look in their direction but Kyoko knew they watched her, waiting for her reaction. She knew better than that. Bullies loved reactions. She knew that not from her roles but from real life. And, of course, these girls were the worst type of bully: the ones who didn't know they were the actual mean ones-that, or they didn't care. To them, they were simply standing up for themselves.

Kyoko wondered idly if she'd ever play a role like that. Then again... someone would have to actually recognize that it happened. Only the bullied know of the situation's irony and most of them probably didn't want to write a drama rehashing their prior traumas.

But she wished that she could turn around and deny the accusations. It wouldn't look any good, though. She recognized she shouldn't have ever said that to Kuon-san. She already _knew _she messed up and here were these girls, rubbing salt in the wound. Now she had to reap the consequences and suck it up. She was better than a bully.

Then again, given her reaction to Ren-as-Kuon earlier, maybe she wasn't.

. . .

"And cut!" The director called. "OK!"

The set dispersed quickly as the crew came in, prepping the stage for the next scene. They'd gone through at least half-a-dozen takes for this last part. It wasn't any fault of Kyoko's, who would have made it through a perfect one-take shot, but one lead continued botching the takes. She was one of the girls Kyoko had overheard earlier continuously messed up the scenes.

She figured her motivations were to make her frustrated with the retakes—but honestly, after working with Ogata had made her numb to six takes. Six takes weren't a lot. Fifteen bordered on it—so the girl would have to try a lot harder if the intention was to catch Kyoko off guard.

They'd both have to work harder.

The girls, Kyoko decided, probably learned their bully tactics the same place Chiori did. During each break, she'd found her nameplate destroyed and her things rifled through. They even tried changing the call board for each scene but luckily, one of the crew members caught on before there were any real consequences. She hadn't even bothered telling anybody; Kyoko was just tired. It wasn't a game like when she'd played with Chiori on the Box R set—she could sense a deeper motive there. Here, she'd honestly deserved the actresses' hazing.

But she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of reacting. If she brought attention to the situation, she would only earn the rest of the cast's dislike. Nobody liked a snitch. Especially when they snitched on the drama's leads.

So, she'd made herself entirely more unsociable than she already was and remained glued to Yashiro's side every moment she wasn't on set. He'd expressed concern, reminding her about the importance of networking but the odd expression on her face was enough to keep him from pressing the issue. Instead, they silently watched the rest of the actors prep for the scene. His eyes kept gravitating to a very peculiar face. _There was something about this guy_... "Kyoko-chan, can I ask you something?"

Not to sound mean, but she'd grown used to him asking odd questions all the time without asking permission before. What inspired the sudden formality? "Hmm?"

"That extra, the tall blonde, he's-"

Kyoko braced herself for the realization. Though Yashiro hadn't known about Ren's plans when she talked about the new Love Me! member, it was too obvious now. He _had_ to recognize the man he'd managed for years. And she was sure it would not be a pretty reaction given Ren _lied_ and, technically, so did she.

"He's a new actor, huh? Do you think he's capable of reaching Ren's level?"

"Ku-Kuon?" She choked on the fake name. Of course Kuon could reach the level of Ren Tsuruga seeing as he was, in fact, Ren Tsuruga. It was just a matter of how long Ren would play this alternate identity game. "I, uh, yeah?" She stumbled over the answer.

Yashiro nodded sagely. "I must take note; you said his name was 'Kuon?'" He scribbled in his notebook. For the first time in what seemed like forever, maybe Ren Tsuruga had some viable competition. "I'll have to look into which agency he's at."

"Ours."

Yashiro looked up, his eyes wide. Certainly, he misheard? _Because there was no way_... "Excuse me?"

Kyoko managed a laugh. This whole Kuon-situation was bordering on anime-absurdity. _How did he not recognize Ren_? _All that was different was hair color and a little attitude change! _She didn't blame Yashiro for being incredulous. It seemed the President enjoyed orchestrating huge messes that seemed unlikely to happen in real life. And, of course, it all happened to her circle. _It's like she was a drama magnet_! "He's at LME; Kuon is the newest member of the Love Me! Section."

Putting someone who can easily overshadow Ren, especially now that the actor away for personal reasons, so close to Kyoko? It's almost as if the President was trying to get rid of Ren-_why wasn't he briefed on this_? "What is the President thinking?!"

She rolled her eyes. She'd been wondering that since she signed into the Love Me! Section.

. . .

Kyoko rested uneasily waiting for the scene to end. She only had one scene left for the day and it couldn't come fast enough. Every while the rest of the drama's cast had settled down by the end of the day—the two girls from the beginning had not. They'd left a note on the inside of her dressing room door with a cutesy note proclaiming: _This is for Kuon-kun, hag_! Even she'd admit that one stung. Plain she could stomach. 'Hag' was associated with ugly and Kyoko really didn't enjoy being called ugly on top of being cast as a villain all the time.

Now, she'd hidden away in the back of the sound stage while Yashiro made a call to the office. She was on her own if the girls came to bother her. A shadow cast over her figure and she braced herself, waiting for the worst. The apprehension faded as she looked up to meet green eyes. "K-Kuon-san?"

"I'm sorry." He whispered as quickly as he appeared.

_What_ — Her face contorted and burnt red as the man-in-question wrapped his arms around her and covered her small frame with his body. Kyoko found she completely could not register the situation because, after everything, there wasn't any reason for him to do something like that. He should scold her instead of... instead of hugging her?

His teeth gritted in her ear and Kyoko duly noted dots of liquid splashing against her legs. _He'd protected her from something_. Her cheeks burnt. It was a classic Tsuruga-move—acting like prince charming in moments of potential danger. But she couldn't help but wonder how he'd known what they'd planned.

Of course, she couldn't ask. Instead of running like any bully worth their salt, the girls burst into concerned squeals. They'd known he'd overheard their plans, but he should have appreciated the gesture—not get in their way! "Kuon-kun! Are you hurt?"

He removed himself from Kyoko and turned to face the girls. "I wouldn't say hot coffee to my back is particularly _enjoyable_."

_Hot coffee?_ Kyoko's eyes honed in on the brown stain on Ren-as-Kuon's uniform. It would be a hard stain; the costume department would probably just toss it. Hesitantly, her fingers reached out and touched the wet patch. She hissed in sympathy; his skin below was still warm. If he felt her touch, he didn't react. He remained focused on the culprits the entire time.

"We weren't-we weren't-"

"Aiming for me. I'm aware." He smiled. Even from behind him, Kyoko's grudges could sense the anger radiating from him. She shuddered and pulled her arms close to her chest. The girls were fortunate to be unaware of Tsuruga-san's cover. Even as Kuon, he simply smiled. "You were aiming for Kyoko-senpai."

His blunt accusation made one girl falter. She had reason to be mad at Kyoko but when Kuon put it into words; he made them sound like bullies. And they were _not_ bullies. She couldn't quite figure out how to rebut without making the situation worse. "But-"

Her friend had no such qualms. It wasn't possible to bully to bullies; this was nothing more than teaching Kyoko her place. Kuon ruined a life-lesson! "But she hates you!" She spat. "Why protect someone who doesn't deserve it?"

Kuon shook his head. "Personal feelings should never affect your acting and Kyoko-senpai has maintained her professionalism through our entire shoot. You two, however, have not. You should never attack another actress to follow through on a personal vendetta." His eyes narrowed. "You were intentionally attempting to harm Kyoko because of something she already apologized for. Something she didn't mean, either."

His statement hung heavy in the air, rubbing in the guilt. They cringed. Upset Kuon was not their favorite Kuon. "S—Sorry." They bowed deeply.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to." He stepped aside, motioning to Kyoko.

The girls narrowed their eyes at the actress. They didn't _want_ to apologize to Kyoko. She was a bridge they would leave burnt; Kuon was not. Kyoko flinched, seeing their obvious disgust at the proposition. She waved Kuon's suggestion away. "No—No, that's all right. They don't have to apologize. I—I deserved it!"

Kuon was unimpressed. "_I _would like them to apologize to you, Kyoko-senpai."

They couldn't refuse it when he said it so bluntly like that. "Well, we don't like it, but Kuon-kun is upset with us and we can't ignore that." The girls bowed, short, stiff bows that looked mechanic. "Please forgive our inexcusable actions, Mio-sama."

"My name is-" They turned away before she could finish reminding them that her name wasn't Mio Hongo. She wouldn't have minded if they called her something rude to her face, especially since they were openly insulting her behind her back. "Kyoko," she finished blandly.

"_Kya~! Look! Kuon-kun has only been acting for a little while and he's already so professional_!" They squealed, jumping up and down as they disappeared into their dressing room. They'd tuned her out as soon as they'd turned around. To them, she'd always be Mio. There was no helping it.

She sighed; Ren-as-Kuon was already amassing a fanbase with this new persona and all she's been able to do is make enemies.

"You don't deserve abuse, Kyoko. I'd thought you knew that."

His voice shook her from her annoyed thoughts; he'd reverted to his 'Ren' voice now they were alone. Apparently, he trusted that they wouldn't have any more interruptions. Kyoko couldn't bring herself to be annoyed by his comment. He spoke like someone who'd been through the same teacher conversations about standing up for herself. As far as she was aware, though, he was never bullied. Or if he was, he never talked about it around her.

She shrugged carefully. "I'm used to it; it's like junior high again." Kyoko shifted her weight. "And like my first week at Box R, to be honest." She didn't mention the Lotus filming; she was positive he wouldn't want to hear about the benign teasing she'd received from Koga. It was child's play compared to this (and she was completely ignoring the Kimiko incident if it was the last thing she did).

He chewed on her statement for a moment. Back when Box-R started, he remembered that she was in an odd mood for a while but he'd assumed it was because she was struggling with creating the character. "You never told me you had trouble on set. I thought they loved Natsu."

"They loved Natsu only after I changed her." _And they almost didn't like that I changed her_. She pinched her face at the memory. If she hadn't nailed the Natsu test—there wasn't any chance she'd be here today. They would have cast her aside as nothing but a one-note actress. "But at first, I was just playing a Mio-knockoff and everybody hated me. My castmates hid costume pieces and taunted me behind my back just like these girls.

"Even after I changed her—Amamiya-san pushed me down the stairs because she was mad I wasn't bound to Mio's character forever." Kyoko sighed. That was a stupid thing to say, considering her guest role on this drama. "Though, I technically still am. I'm still a bully."

"You were... pushed down the stairs?" Kuon's eyes widened. That news would have made it back to him, even without her telling him. Which meant... she told no one? His hands curled into fists.

"Ah, well she's repenting in the Love Me! Section."

Flinching, he looked at Kyoko curiously. He'd honestly believed they'd grown closer before this rift opened. Apparently, he was wrong. "You never told me that."

She smiled sadly. "I couldn't bother you; you were struggling with Actor X." The memory of Ren's haunted face at the Dark Moon accident sent chills down her spine. She forced herself to laugh the memory away. "What could you have done, anyway? It's not like Dark Moon where you had a reason to defend me."

He couldn't say anything; she was right.

"You didn't need to do that now, even." Kyoko turned away, hiding her flushed cheeks. She smiled wryly. If anything, she should have played the role of concerned senpai. And yet, she cowered behind him and let her fight her battles like she was a stupid, weak girl. "Even if I'm supposed to be mad at you, you still were the bigger person."

_I'm supposed to be mad you_. The words weren't lost on him. He could work with that. He'd assumed her greeting this morning was a fluke but, this cemented it. The hate was nothing but a facade. He was the master of facades; he'd sure he could overcome this. "I would do again if I had to, even if my skin melted off from repeated exposure to hot coffee."

"Tsu—Kuon-san," she breathed, barely remembering to use his new name.

"Kyoko-senpai."

Different variations of her question cycled through her head. That shouldn't have been his reply. He was supposed to agree that she wasn't worth saving. She couldn't choose solid navigation around the topic, so, she settled on the "Why?" that bothered her the most.

His brows furrowed together. "I thought it was obvious."

She turned her nose up. "It's not."

"I love you, Kyoko."

**~End Chapter Three~**

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review!**

**A/N: I think this one's a teeny bit shorter than the last two chapters but I really love those melodramatic cliffhangers. So just think of it as just your average SB update each month! Short and overly dramatic! **


	4. Back in the Minefield

**Back in the Minefield**

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the month off without an update. I got caught up in a bunch of stuff and will be attempting to get back into this! To those who haven't heard from tumblr or wherever else I've been talking about it-I'm going to grad school! I start my MFA with a residency on campus next month before officially starting this fall! I'm so excited and thank everybody for their support through the years. Y'all are the reason I keep writing. **

**I'd thought I'd throw in a little old-time fandom cliche into this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! **

**As always, this is still dedicated to SubtleCuddle. **

**. . .**

The words cycled her head like a broken record long after the shoot wrapped. It repeated at the worst times and consequently ruined her train of thought well into the next week. Any moment she wasn't in character and she was forced to exist solely as Kyoko Mogami, it echoed its cruel refrain through her head. Every night, pounding into her sleepless thoughts:

_I love you, Kyoko_.

The haunting melody lingered in her head as she whisked herself between jobs, too distracted to really worry about the missing presence at her side.

Yashiro had called out sick the day before. So, she picked up the slack as if her career depended on it. And it did. She'd survived almost a full year without a manager. There was no reason she couldn't handle herself now. The only thing she needed to be wary of was any situations that could potentially end up like the stint back on Kuon's show. Without Yashiro, it was harder to predict who would be on the sets she visited as a guest for the episode. As it turned out-the producers were less willing to disclose such information to a talento acting as her own manager than if it was an actual manager asking.

Kyoko sighed. "I miss Yashiro-san," she muttered under her breath as she navigated her way through the LME offices in search of the acting department's Matsushima. She hoped _he_ might have mercy on her and tell her who was on the commercial set she was supposed to be on that day. After all, it was an LME production.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

She froze mid-step as the voice's owner sunk in. Because of course, it was him. _Kuon_. Kyoko pulled her shoulders back and forced an uneasy smile. "Oh, don't worry about me," she laughed breezily. "I'll survive on my own. I always do."

If he had a counter to her argument, he couldn't pull it out before a new voice interrupted. "I'm afraid that Kuon-san is still a little hesitant to put himself out there. This is a Love Me! Job." Sawara interrupted the would-be standstill with a sigh. "The President doesn't want you without a manager right now, Mogami-san, and the others are...booked."

Kyoko narrowed her eyes but didn't call him out on the obvious lie. She appreciated he even _tried_ to cover up what was obviously one of the President's contrived plans. "I'm perfectly capable of working without one," she reminded him with a tight-lipped smile.

"Apparently Love Me! Section training now explicitly requires practice playing manager." Sawara eyed 'Kuon' uneasily. Something about him...didn't strike him as right. He pushed the thought away and focused back on Kyoko. "And Kuon-san's opportunity apparently should be with the 'best of the best.'"

"He's trying to stroke my ego," Kyoko said blandly.

"It would seem that way."

She sighed, pulling in a deep breath before turning back to Kuon. If she didn't already ingrain it into her brain-it would be hard to recognize him as #1 Bachelor Tsuruga Ren. What had become his trademark confidence and gentlemanly aura had been contorted into a refraction of what he used to be. He slouched, making his height practically unnoticeable. He obviously wore contacts and had dyed his hair. But most of all, it was his presence that was most different. In this form, as Kuon, he seemed more his age. Twenty-one years young.

Yes, she was sure of it. If she hadn't been such a Type A and insistent on knowing everything she could about this man, she would have never recognized him. After all, nobody else seemed to.

"I'm going to regret this, but Kuon-san, it looks like you'll be playing my manager until the President screws his head on straight." She coughed, closing her eyes. "Knowing my luck, that won't be for a while.

"I'll be happy to assist you for as long as you need."

Kyoko bit her lip and shook her head. "First rule of being my manager. Don't go saying sweet nothings like that to me. I'm Love Me Number 1, things like that don't work on me." She turned her heels. "I'll explain the other rules on the way to Matsushima-san's office." It'd give her enough time to actually make up rules. Yashiro-san didn't need rules; he knew her too well.

Tsuruga-san knew her, too. But she couldn't be too sure what _Kuon_ would do.

Sawara watched the duo in pink with a sinking in his chest. Whatever the President had planned this time...

He kind of felt sorry for Kuon-san.

. . .

Everything that made Kyoko an awful manager when she worked for Tsurgua-san made Kuon a wonderful one. Annoyingly so. He carried her bag (to her chagrin because not even Yashiro does that! And she's fully capable of carrying her own bag!). The stagehands and managers and producers loved him-and never mistook him for a temp worker. He could _drive_.

She noticed quickly that he drove her in one of the nondescript company cars. A simple sedan model similar to the one Yashiro used. Though, on second thought, it made sense. His entire schtick would be up if he drove his own car.

The only thing she could really be disappointed with was his insistence that he wore the blinding Love Me! coveralls. His excuse was that Kyoko wore them when she assisted Tsuruga Ren and even Chiori in uniform. It was a low blow, she decided, because there was no way 'Kuon' would know that. But she had no real reason to argue with him. She would just have to deal with it...probably in the same way _he_ had to deal with an annoying girl he hated following him in an offensively pink uniform.

Except she couldn't bring herself to hate him, regardless of what she said last week.

"Hey, Kyoko-chan, Tsuruga-san finally steal his manager back from you?" Koga called cheerfully as he spotted his co-star enter the soundstage with a tall blonde following close behind. "Using this one to make your boy-toy jealous?"

Kyoko smiled politely. "Yashiro-san has a cold and wasn't interested in contaminating the set."

Even though she didn't believe it herself, the lie was believed. Thankfully. If someone called her out on the lie, she didn't know how she would have wound herself around it. It wasn't like she could even say that her 'manager' was Tsuruga Ren. Not that they would believe her.

"You didn't answer the other question."

She kept her smile even and turned to her other surrounding cast members. "This is Kuon-san and is the newest addition to Love Me! Section at LME. He will be acting as my temporary manager while Yashiro-san is sick." Kyoko motioned to Kuon, ignoring the impressed looks of some of the women. They were supposed to be Tsuruga Ren fans and here they were...fooled by Tsuruga Ren into liking someone else. She barely kept in a sigh.

Ayami-san, the actress chosen for Chidori, approached the pink duo with too much hesitation for someone who supposedly had a boyfriend. "Uh, Kuon-kun...have I-have I met you before?"

Well, the reality was that Ayami had actually worked with Tsuruga as a minor character in a drama the year before. Tsuruga remembered that but kept an easy smile. "I've done some extra work recently but I don't believe the episodes have aired yet. So, I don't think so."

She smiled. "Where on earth has LME been hiding you?"

He shrugged carefully. Kyoko took the opportunity to turn away from her castmates to check the call board. She was up first. "I'm going to be going to the dressing room. I'd hate to cause any trouble today," she said, directing the comment at Tsuruga-as-Kuon. He was toeing dangerous territory and if he wasn't careful, his identity would be unveiled in careless small talk.

Kyoko hadn't intended on helping him stay as Kuon but she'd rather not let her cast know that _the_ Tsuruga Ren was on set. They were unbearable enough when the gossip had come out. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if the man himself was on set.

Especially since Koga supposedly hated him.

"I'll go with you," Kuon replied, taking the hint. He appreciated her effort. There wasn't any good way to say that LME has been hiding him in plain sight. He turned back to the cast and bowed deeply. "It was nice meeting everyone. Work hard today."

Things settled down as soon as the workday got underway. Everybody was too busy to worry about where they could have possibly seen Kuon before and Kyoko was too tired to worry about literally anything else. Take after take, Kyoko had to keep up her stamina as if it was the first one. Kuon focused on keeping a towel and water on hand for each of her breaks as a team of makeup artists worked on bringing the rosy traces of exertion from her cheeks. He tried his best to operate as her support. She was too tired to try pushing him away, her rules about personal boundaries be damned. Take. Break. Take.

She practically held her breath as Morizumi called to review the latest take. There were almost ten takes in a row and the world was starting to get a little blurry.

She waited.

"Kyoko," Kuon whispered.

She jumped at his presence as he came up behind her. "Kuon-san," she greeted softly, wiping her brow. The take was greenlit minutes ago but she couldn't shake the warmth from the stunts. Really, what made today any different from yesterday's rehearsal? And yet...it seemed so much more strenuous.

He studied her carefully but decided she was still tired from the complicated stunts he watched her do. Kuon nudged her shoulder. "We should get going. You don't want to be late."

Kyoko hummed in agreement, turning to the hall with her dressing room without another word.

Kuon watched as Kyoko shuffled down the hall. It wasn't her usual gait. He knew that much. There was a lot he could say about her since he re-adopted his persona as Kuon. She's been less open with him, harder to predict. And he deserved it. But this was different. As far as he could tell, this wasn't some contrived act to throw him off. He may be going back to Kuon, but he still had all the acting knowledge of Tsuruga Ren. More than that, he knew Kyoko. His instincts told him he needed to be wary.

Something wasn't right.

. . .

It hit him when he watched Kyoko fall out of character after the last take was given the greenlight. This was only a short commercial shoot, making use of her identity as a talento to stick it to Kuresaki. She hadn't lingered after the director's OK and walked straight to her dressing room. More appropriately, she wobbled. The motion reminded him of the first few times she accompanied him as Setsu-with her too tall, too thin heels. She wore flats today.

It reminded him, also, of something else. Something he experienced once and vowed to never experience ever again. Once was enough and an awful stain on his prided reputation for never getting sick. But that was it. He was sure. Kyoko had to be coming down with a cold.

There were many reasons for getting sick, he'd learned after dealing with his own bout with a cold. Like him: there was malnutrition and working too hard. That couldn't be her circumstance; she'd eaten every meal very diligently. And far as he was aware, this was actually a considerable lesser schedule he was given to handle. Which left the other option: stress.

The thought made him immediately guilty. Kyoko was inevitably stressed about everything he was doing to her. Being Kuon. Telling her he loved her back on set. Playing manager. Kuon sighed. He was suddenly very unsure about this plan President Takarada helped him construct after his disastrous confrontation with Kyoko after Yappa Kimagure Rock. Then again, he should have realized this a lot sooner. The President hardly ever had good ideas about love.

It was worse when he realized that Kyoko wouldn't let herself rest; it was an early day and he was to return her to the Daruyama after she finished changing back into her street clothes. There, she would probably volunteer to help.

And she would only get sicker.

There was a solution to his problem, but he didn't trust himself to enact it without blowing his cover. He had to, though. For the sake of Kyoko. He needed to call Yashiro. Call Yashiro and pray that he wasn't recognized. He _could_ have called the Daruyama himself but he didn't trust that the Taisho wouldn't see immediately through the fake personality. He already saw through his Ren persona. Kuon didn't stand a chance.

Kuon took a deep breath. _Fooling those close to us is the greatest test_, he reminded himself. He closed his eyes and dialled.

"Hello?"

"Yashiro-san? I apologize for the interruption." He spoke slowly, deliberately. Like he was talking to a stranger and needed to make a good impression. Because he kind of was. "My name is Kuon and I've been assigned as Kyoko-chan's manager for the day. I'm...I'm in the Love Me! Section."

Yashiro froze. Both because the call couldn't mean anything good-and because it was _him_. The actor that could possibly compete with Tsuruga Ren. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice even. "Is something wrong with Kyoko-chan?"

Kuon paused, wondering briefly if it would be better to tell the whole truth or a half lie. He decided on the truth. There didn't need to be any more lies between him and his manager. "Kyoko-chan is coming down with a cold. I'll be taking her to the President's estate where she'll be handled...at his discretion." He cringed. It sounded like a torture method when he spoke the words out loud. "It's mostly rest, though," he promised.

"I see."

"And I was wondering if you had the contact information for her guardians at the...the Daruyama? So I could let them know she won't be home today?"

"That won't be necessary," Yashiro managed finally. "I'll be sure to call her guardians on the behalf of LME and yourself."

"Thank you." Kuon hung up before Yashiro could think any longer about the exchange. "Sorry, Yashiro-san," he said into the silence. It was a rude way to end the call, but he would have panicked if the call went on any longer. He could hear it in his voice. He was onto him.

Yashiro, on the other end of the line, looked blankly at his phone as the other end hung up. So, this was Kuon. The surprising fourth addition to the Love Me! Section...and obviously part, if not the entire, reason President Takarada asked him to lie to Kyoko and feign sickness. There was something oddly familiar about his voice, but...

He shook it off. No. It couldn't be. He would have known about any contrived plans like that-heck, he would have been involved! His favorite past time was trying to bring Kyoko and Ren together. But there was no way. He would have known.

There was no way this 'Kuon' could possibly be Tsuruga Ren in disguise.

. . .

"This isn't the Daruyama."

"No."

Kyoko yawned, barely managing to cover her mouth as she looked over the magnificent building off to the side. He took advantage of her half-asleep state and directed them off their route. "This is President Takarada's mansion."

Kuon hesitated. "That is." He took a breath and motioned through the windshield at a small cottage off to the corner of the estate. Compared to the molding and gilded details of the President's own house, this seemed almost comically normal. Innocuous. "But this is where I'm taking you."

She looked at the building suspiciously. "A place to dump my body?"

"Ex-Excuse me?"

Kyoko waved off the joke. She was too tired to continue with it. It was a bad joke, anyway. "I'm guessing you have an explanation for this, too?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned the car off and pulled himself out of the driver's seat. He crossed the front of the car before opening Kyoko's door. She took off her seatbelt but refused to move from her seat. Not until he answered her. Relenting, he held a hand out to her. "It's my home."

The answer stunned her long enough for Kuon to pull her out of the car and close the door behind her. It was truth enough, though before returning to Kuon-he wouldn't have been able to tell anyone the last time he actually considered the condo 'home.' More appropriately, it was the house he used in the midst of creating Tsuruga Ren. Only two people besides himself had ever been inside. President Takarada and his assistant. Now, Kyoko would join the ranks-though she wouldn't understand the significance of the invitation until the final shoe came off. When he was forced to tell the whole truth about Kuon Hizuri.

She followed closely as he led her to the entryway, holding in a gasp as he held the door open. It wasn't just the outside that was plain. The inside matched, looking nothing like the posh, sophisticated apartment Tsurgua Ren lived in. In fact, it practically resembled the home she'd lived in with her mother before she was abandoned with the Fuwas. Mostly sparse and impeccably clean.

"Why am I here?" Kyoko asked, toeing off her shoes in the entry. "The taisho and okami are expecting back home soon."

Kuon had the decency to hesitate before countering her point. "No, they aren't. I asked Yashiro to tell your parents that you were staying under the care of the company for the night. An emergency."

Red flashed before her eyes. "I knew it! He's involved with your big game, huh?" Kyoko huffed, turning on her heels and positioning herself back to the door. She'd bang on the President's door and demand he took her home. She couldn't deal with this nonsense anymore. "I knew he couldn't be that dense."

"You're mistaken. He didn't recognize my voice when I called." Kuon reached out, gently catching her arm. "The only thing he knows is that Tsuruga Ren is on a badly timed vacation."

"Oh."

She paused and turned back to him as he dropped her arm. Nothing made sense, still, but at least Yashiro hadn't fallen to the pits of lying to her. Yet. "You didn't answer my first question," she said finally.

"I think...I think you're catching a cold. Probably from the...stress...I've put on you. And I knew you wouldn't slow down at home, so here you are. The President had his assistant deliver medication and food."

"I'm not-" She froze. Paid attention. Her whole body hurt and pain pulsated from the back of her skull to her eyebrows. Her throat hurt, but she'd assumed it was from all the talking she'd done. Except that wasn't right. Most of today's shoots were silent. Stunts on Lotus and cheerful posing on her commercial shoot. She knew better than this; she lectured Tsuruga-san about it all the time. Look at her now. "How did you know?" she whispered.

"I paid attention. Just like you did for me."

Kyoko nodded, swallowing hard. Here she was giving the guy a hard time because he didn't want her to be sick. _What was this world turning her into_? Correction. _What was her fear turning her into_? She couldn't help but fear Kuon's motives and it was turning her into a heartless person. Just like those girls had said when she was on his set the week prior.

With nothing left to argue about, Kyoko let Kuon lead her to the small table in the center of his living room. An assortment of medicinal drinks and classic 'sick foods' cluttered the small space. Pocari Sweat. Honeyed Daikon. Udon. Rice Porridge. All in containers emblazoned with logos from restaurants across Tokyo. Kyoko barely kept in a laugh as she sat in front of the bounty.

Kuon pressed his lips together, sitting down across from her. "I...I didn't know what you preferred and I inherited my cooking skills from my mother. So I had Takarada-san's assistant pick up anything that might...anything that might help."

"Don't apologize. It's...it's sweet," she conceded, pulling the daikon close. There wasn't any possible way she'd be able to eat all of this. It was the thought that mattered.

They sat in silence like that for the duration of the evening. And to Kuon's satisfaction, the brightness returned to her eyes and she smiled more easily. Tiredness still edged around her eyes but that wasn't something that couldn't be fixed with a good night's rest. Which exactly why he led her to the bedroom, making her promise that she would remain in bed until he woke her up for the next morning, where he would escort her to her first set.

From there, Yashiro would resume his managerial responsibilities. To avoid more stressors in her environment.

There were a few things that bothered her about his statement-however, Kyoko only found it in herself to vocalize her complaint about the bed she now occupied. She tried arguing but he silenced her, telling her that she only occupied the guest room. Kyoko didn't know enough about the layout of the cottage to dispute his claim. She sat grumpily on the mattress and watched as Kuon made to leave, presumably to sleep on the couch. And she was going to let him. It was his own fault if he ended up with a crick in his neck, she decided quickly.

However, decision, aside, Kyoko couldn't help her curiosity. And who was to blame her, given the circumstances? "When are you going to give this up?"

Kuon turned, a hesitant smile plastered on his face. "What are you talking about, Kyoko-senpai?"

If Kuon-or-Tsuruga-or-whoever-he-was was anything-it was a good actor. Kyoko knew that. But it didn't stop her from being frustrated at the non answer. "All of this," she nearly shouted. "Tsuruga-san, you can't keep pretending to be someone you're not to prove a point!"

"And what would that point be?" He blinked innocently.

_All this time? It's been me? _

_Yes. _

_If you have to return to Kyoto, I will follow you. Mogami-san, I'll even learn to be a waiter if you'll be with me. _

_I thought it was obvious. I love you, Kyoko_.

Her brain unhelpfully supplemented her with his apparent motive for playing Kuon. She couldn't, wouldn't, say the words out loud. She looked away, gnawing on her lip.

As her eyes left him, Kuon changed his act. He stood up tall, pulling his shoulders back, and plastered on one of his gentleman's smiles. "My name isn't Tsuruga-san, Mogami-san. I told you that."

"But-" Kyoko's objection died on her tongue as she turned back to him. Right before her eyes, he transformed out of Tsuruga Ren and back to Kuon. Or, almost Kuon. This time he was different than the cheerful man who's supposedly tailed her into LME via the Love Me! Section. He was rougher around the edges. Still familiar, though. This new-Kuon was someone she's met before. It was the man she couldn't identify back when they were playing the Heel Siblings. Not quite Tsuruga-san. Not quite Cain Heel. But also not BJ or any of his other characters.

Kyoko licked her lips, wanting to say something. Except she couldn't find the words to say what she wanted to say-if she even had anything specific to say in the first place. Kuon smiled, dissipating her efforts. "Sweet Dreams, Kyoko."

As she closed her eyes and buried herself into the sheets, she saw Kuon's smile on the back of her eyelids.

**~End Chapter Four~**

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review! **


	5. Fight Like the Devil

**Fight Like the Devil**

**A/N: *publishes this* *runs away***

**As usual, this is for ASubtleCuddle because I love her.**

**Please enjoy!**

**. . . **

Kyoko's fists curled at her sides as she looked at Yashiro. "You're... you're joking," she managed.

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. "Afraid not. Sawara-san emailed me, asking if we could pick him up after the shoot." At first, he wondered why he was sent this information but the expression on Kyoko's face made it clear that it was important. "I take it, it's all right to take another passenger?"

Kyoko hadn't seen Kuon in weeks since he played her manager... since she was sick. She was well enough to go back to work the next day but he disappeared after dropping her off at the Lotus shoot before they could talk. It wasn't like last time where she went out of her way to avoid him. She would have met with him if there had been the opportunity. Except she'd been unbelievably busy. He was, too.

She never got his new number because they weren't as close as Ren and Kyoko were. And she didn't want to ask anyone at the office because she didn't know who knew the truth.

So, of course, the next time she heard about Kuon, he was sitting pretty on the set of Sho Fuwa's new PV. She hadn't even known Sho was back in Japan. Neither of those boys failed to amaze her...

Smiling, she shook the thought from her head. "I'll do you one better," she said.

Yashiro blinked. Kyoko's scheming face never meant anything good when Fuwa was involved. But he knew better than to question her when they were still on set. Nobody could be sure who was listening to what. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"How about we meet him there?" Kyoko asked brightly. She smoothed out the ruffled on her blouse. "You think I can one-take the rest of the shoot?"

The break was almost over and she wanted to get this over with. There was no way she'd try this a year ago but that was then. This was now. She had better places to be than a commercial shoot that only hired her because they thought Natsu was "sexy". Really, she kept hitting misses with her casting agreements. The only thing she's been truly content with lately has been Lotus... even Bo had been hard to get into after Ren's bomb.

"Kyoko-chan..."

"Don't worry, Yashiro." Kyoko grinned as she started for the set. She turned over her shoulder and winked. "I learned from the best."

#

Kyoko managed to mostly keep her promise of one-taking the rest of the shoot-there was only one scene they had to redo twice but she firmly maintained that it was her coworker's fault for stumbling over the line. She didn't even take her makeup off before darting to the backseat of Yashiro's car; she barely took the time to change into her street clothes.

They were on the road less than ten minutes after the shoot wrapped. And they were at the studio in fifteen.

Yashiro kept himself from wilting under Kyoko's sudden intensity as she burst into the studio. There was a part of him that worried if her sudden interest in Kuon would overshadow her interest in Ren. At the same time... if she was truly happy... who was he to complain?

"You know, I always expect something stupid from Sho but not from Tsuru-_him_," she said under her breath as they were waved through to the sound stage. Maybe she didn't expect this from Tsurugua-san but Kuon kept proving to her that she shouldn't have such high expectations from the so-called newbie actor. Maybe the 'real' Tsuruga-san was more impulsive than he let on.

That, or he had a death wish.

"I didn't think you knew Kuon-san that well," Yashiro said breathlessly. He could hardly keep up with her speed walk but he knew he didn't want to miss whatever happened when she caught up to Fuwa's shoot.

Kyoko didn't slow down to recall Yashiro (somehow) didn't know the truth behind Kuon's identity. Instead, she called over her shoulder: "Just because his face is different, he's still the same."

"Just because his face is..." His brow crumbled as he came to a barreling stop behind her. Except when he looked at her to attempt to put the puzzle together, her attention was plastered instead to the medieval set. He kept himself from interrupting her staring contest with nobody and settled to solve the situation on his own.

"What is that idiot doing?" Kyoko narrowed her eyes.

If this was a different scenario, she would be impressed with the set-up of Sho's shoot. The sets were more elaborate than when she had done the Prisoner PV all that time ago and the costumes were just as beautiful. Once again, Sho's directorial team had opted for a fantastical setting and every inch of the sound stage looked straight out of a picture book. Sho was dressed in a traditional prince's outfit, covered from head to toe in frills and velvet that would have made the singer break into hives a year ago.

And Kuon... and really, this was where Kyoko doubted the observation skills of everyone on set... was fitted in a pirate costume that hung off his body in carefully-placed shreds. A brown wig completed the look. A brown wig. How could they look at him and not immediately place him as Tsuruga Ren?

The story of today's shoot seemed simple: The Prince fought the Pirate in an impressive sword fight over a princess. Both Kyoko and Yashiro were happy to report that the princess in question was a mere generic princess, played by a no-name actress.

Kyoko watched as the director called for another take and the crew fell into a seamless movement. So far, nobody had noticed her or Yashiro waiting in the darkened corner. She sighed. The shoots she'd been on recently hadn't been this smooth and she found herself aching to be on the stage even if she'd rather choke than bee in another PV with Sho. She'd had enough of working on his PVs for the rest of her life.

_Action_. The stage filled with the pop-y beat of Sho's upcoming single about lost love and the men fell easily into their choreographed fight sequence. _Jab. Slash. Dodge. Jump. Slash. Ja-_

"Ah!"

Kuon jumped back, dropping his sword and clutching his shoulder. It took another second for the Sho to clue in and unhand his own weapon. Another for the music to stop. The set froze in unmistakable silence.

"If you understand tempo enough to write music, how can you screw up simple choreography?" Kyoko screeched, breaking the silence.

Dozens of heads whipped around to her unexpected outburst, watching as she stormed from her corner to where Sho and Kuon stood in the center. Yashiro trotted helplessly behind her. He was as surprised as the rest of the set to witness the accidental damage-but he was bewildered at Kyoko's reaction. The only one he ever expected her to get this riled up about was Ren. But Kuon?

"Kyoko?" Sho's concern melted into surprise as he turned from his co-star to assess the woman yelling at him. It sounded like Kyoko. But the way her hair and makeup were done, he wouldn't recognize her off the bat if he'd passed her on the street.

Which wasn't to say she looked wholly unlike herself. It only meant that he'd have to take a second look before realizing his childhood best friend was in front of him. "What are you doing here?" 

"You could have killed him!" she shouted. "What's wrong with you?"

Sho rolled his eyes. Whatever she was doing here, she was already taking everything out of proportion. He'd overstepped a bit but it was nothing serious. "You're overreacting."

"It's not too bad, Kyoko-senpai," Kuon interrupted softly. "Please don't worry."

"Don't defend-" Of course Ren-as-Kuon would defend Sho in this situation. Why wouldn't he? _Kuon_ must not hate Sho like Ren did. She whipped around to face Kuon, ready to yell at him for defending the person who just assaulted him when her mouth ran dry.

Beneath Kuon's hand, red blossomed against the thin linen of his pirate shirt. The face he wore disguised none of the pain. Kyoko swallowed hard. "You're bleeding."

"What are you doing here, Kyoko?" Sho said loudly. She wasn't supposed to be concerned with some nobody actor, even if he was bleeding (a little bit, nothing serious). "Have enough time on your hands to pick up strays off the street?"

"LME requested we pick up Kuon when the shoot wrapped. Kyoko-chan's work finished early, so we were watching." Yashiro interjected. He bowed deeply. "Please pardon our intrusion."

"You don't need to make up lies for her, Glasses." Sho snorted. He recognized her manager right away as Tsuruga's old manager. Him, too? He definitely had better things to do than babysit Kyoko and worry over a starting out actor. Unless the rumors were true and Tsuruga quit acting? "She's an actress and could probably come up with a better excuse than that."

"Sho," Shoko scolded. "You're not helping."

"Neither is Kyoko yelling at me!"

Kyoko sighed. "Let's get you out of here, Kuon... kun." She still couldn't bring herself to drop that honorific as she awkwardly wrapped an arm around his torso. Tsuruga-san was still there under the Kuon facade, even if she wanted to make a point to Sho. "I'll get you cleaned up since _nobody else_ on this set seems interested in doing their jobs properly."

Sho yelled something back at her, but she tuned him out as she ushered Kuon from the stage into the hallway. Nobody followed. Kyoko didn't know if she should be thanking the universe or Yashiro for the luck. They followed the signs to the green room, relishing the quiet as the stage doors closed behind them.

"What were you thinking, agreeing to work on this?" Kyoko asked as the door closed behind them. She dropped Kuon at the table in the center of the room, before rushing to grab the first aid kit stashed in the back corner. "I thought you hated Sho."

"You starred in his PV for Prisoner." Kuon licked his lips, swallowing hard. His eyes moved from Kyoko's angry face and found a distraction in the packet of sugar someone left on the table. It wasn't supposed to be this hard to do the stupid video. He was an actor who starred in movies and drama to high acclaim, for god's sake. That didn't mean anything when he was working his way up from the bottom. Even if his acting skills were the same, nobody took him seriously, least of all the Sho Fuwa, who mocked him when he tripped up the choreography during rehearsal. "I wanted to follow in my senpai's footsteps."

"You can drop the act, Tsuruga-san; nobody's here but us. You can speak openly with me."

Kuon shook his head. "And you looked so beautiful-no, stunning-that I thought, maybe he couldn't have been too bad if his song evoked such a wonderful version of you.

"I..." Her tongue went dry. There were a hundred and one things she wanted to tell him. Like how her hatred stalled production. How she still hated what Sho had done to her, even if she couldn't bring herself to hate the man himself anymore. Or ask him when he'd even seen the PV when he seemed to hate Sho more than she ever did. But all she could focus on was 'stunning.' He thought she was stunning.

She took a deep breath, digging up the words from her chest and refocusing on the man in front of her. He hasn't looked like Tsuruga Ren in months but this man, even as Kuon was unfamiliar to her. A stranger she really, really wanted to get to know.

But she didn't know how to say that without being stupid or naive, so the words out of her mouth were: "You're bleeding again."

Kuon looked down, breaking the spell of whatever had fallen over them. He felt his face revert to the tight, calculated face he used as Ren. "I will say, his aim was impeccable. Remind me never to get into a sword fight with _sharpened_ weapons with the guy."

"It's not too deep," she said softly. She reached out and pushed his opened shirt aside. "A few butterfly bandages and a shirt change and you should be fine."

They remained in an amicable silence as Kyoko pried his shirt off and got to work on cleaning his wound. The only sounds in the room were the sounds of opening packages and soft gasps as the hydrogen peroxide hit his skin. She whispered apologies under her breath as she pressed the skin together to apply the butterfly bandages and told him to stop being a baby when she covered the wound with a square of cotton batting and wrapped gauze around his shoulder and torso. Soon enough, the gauze was taped in place and there was no reason to stand so close anymore. Her fingers lingered there, brushing the edge of where the gauze met with his skin. He shivered.

"Kyoko," he whispered.

She stifled a gasp, looking up to him only to realize their faces were centimeters away. Too close. Too close for him to be saying her name like that. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, pulling away to watch her reaction.

Her hand trailed up to touch her cheek. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry for all of this." He smiled wryly. "Putting you through all this was unfair."

Any response she could have mustered up was smothered by the briefest brush of his lips against hers. He was gone in an instant, halfway across the room. Kuon didn't look back as he pulled the door open. But his next words lingered in the air long after the door closed behind him:

"This will all be over soon, I promise." 

**~ End Chapter Five ~ **

**A/N: Can you believe my fic outline tells me that there are only 3 chapters left of this? Shoot your best predictions for how this ends in the review box! **

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review!**


	6. A Close Encounter with a Binary System!

**A Close Encounter with a Binary System!**

**A/N: For SubtleCuddle, with love. **

**And a note for everybody else: sending lots of good vibes and love in these very weird and scary times. Don't forget to social distance responsibly and NOT hoard food.**

**. . .**

_This will all be over soon, I promise._

Days passed since Kuon's words to Kyoko and she could still feel the whisper of his kiss on her lips. But she hadn't seen or heard anything since. Yashiro acted as her intel spy, however reluctant he seemed and was able to uncover that he'd been trapped doing manual labor in the LME offices ever since he wrapped Sho's PV.

Which was why she was here on her one day off for the week, sitting in the Love Me! Room, waiting for Kuon to reappear.

With Kanae in America and Chiori trapped in an audition Lory had lined up for her, the room was uncomfortably quiet. The quiet did nothing to quell the storm that's been brewing in Kyoko's chest since this whole thing started. Kuon's promise had made her nerves ignite a hurricane in her that threatened to swallow her whole. Where would they be now if Tsuruga-san never had that interview on Kimagure Rock? What would have happened if she decided to ask for a sub to play Bo when she realized who their guest was? What if she's given a better response to his desperate pleas-would they still be in this weird position today?

_I wish you were anybody but Tsuruga Ren._ Not only was it a ridiculous wish, but it was incomprehensible for him to have pulled off this charade. Kyoko sighed, slouching in her seat. There was still something about this whole situation that nagged at the back of her mind, begging to be remembered. But she couldn't get past the shiny blond exterior of Tsuruga-san's new identity as Kuon.

A soft knock rapped against the door. Finally. Kyoko jumped up, knocking her chair to the ground as she scrambled to answer it. She flung the door open, gasping for breath. "I've been waiting-"

Her greeting died on her lips as she recognized the figure taking up the door frame. It was not Kuon. The new arrival lifted her into his arms and twirled her rather unceremoniously in the air without so much as a greeting.

Kuu Hizuri.

As happy as she wanted to be, she couldn't bring herself to do anything more than smile as he placed her back on the ground. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice stiff and formal.

His laughter filled the room, echoing uncomfortably in the stillness. "Do we need a reason to visit our favorite daughter?"

Kyoko's smile tightened. Kuu didn't return to Japan for years before Dark Moon started filming and now he made a second trip just to visit... her? _Right_. Even _she _could smell something fishy going on around his so-called act of spontaneity. But she didn't have the brain-power to even contemplate what he could be planning.

"I can't be your assistant, otou-san. I've got a role..." She hesitated. How much did he know if he took the time to fly out? "On a movie," she continued. "There's no time to cook for an army."

Kuu's laugh filled the room. "Don't worry about me, Kyoko-chan! As much as I enjoyed your cooking, I would never ask such a thing from a budding actress like yourself." He hesitated for a moment too long. She didn't catch his flub. "Not again, at least."

"Right," Kyoko said neutrally, turning back to the table at the center of the room. If this was any other time, she would be ecstatic to see Kuu again. "It's nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule, then, to visit me."

If Kuu noticed Kyoko's lack of enthusiasm about his visit, he ignored it. Instead, he plopped into the chair beside her. "Where's that respected senpai of yours, by the way?"

She stiffened. _What kind of question was that_? Fly all the way to Japan to ask that? She whipped around to look at Kuu and his eyes were filled with a delighted shine. Her eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what he was doing. Maybe the president had set him up to this, after all. "Excuse me?"

"That tall fellow you couldn't stop bragging about?!" Kuu stroked his chin. "Takumi-no, Tsuda-no, that's not right either. He was in _Dark Moon_ with you!?"

"Tsuruga Ren," she said, rolling her eyes.

There was now officially a new plan-of-action for today. Step one: shake Kuu's questions and escape. Step two: track down the president and ask him what on Earth he was doing, interfering in her personal life like this.

"That's the fellow!" Kuu clapped. "He's the one that played Katsuki like me." He laughed. "Handsome enough, but nothing compares to the real deal, huh, _Kuon_?

Did he just say...

Kuon?

How could she have forgotten! She's been a doofus this entire time! How could she not have realized?

A million bricks fell over Kyoko's head as things started to click in place. That... that must be the reason Tsuruga chose the name 'Kuon!' With all this nonsense he's been spewing since adopting the persona, about how he was trying to be 'like Kyoko' (whatever that meant in the first place), this was the only logical explanation. The picture was starting to become clearer. Now she really needed to talk to Tsuruga-san.

Needless to say, it was the wrong things clicking together.

"Kyoko-chan, is everything all right?" Kuu placed a hand on her shoulder when she got quiet. She jumped, flinching away from his touch. He frowned and pulled his hand back. "Did I say something wrong?"

She chewed her lip and stared at the ground. The idea of talking to the president had already faded from her mind. All she wanted to do was think... and finish connecting these dots around Tsuruga's Kuon identity. Except... she couldn't push those she cared about away in the name of... figuring out all this. If she did, she would be no better than she was back in Kyoto. And she'd really love to be able to talk to someone about this with someone that wasn't Yashiro. She didn't expect these past few weeks to be so lonely. Who knew that most of her time had actually been spent with Tsuruga-san?

"A-About that," she started, choking on the words. She shook her head. Wrong start. She tried again, taking a deep breath as she looked Kuu in the eyes. Tears pricked her eyes but she willed them to stay where they were. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Oh?" Kuu's lips twisted into an amused smirk. "I have something to tell you, too."

She couldn't even be upset with whatever it was he would tell her (because whatever it was, she would blame the President). Kyoko smiled. "Would you like to trade secrets over lunch?"

He chuckled. "I think mine has to come a little sooner than that." Standing, he held a hand out to Kyoko and pulled her toward the door. "But we'll be plenty happy to join you to catch up."

"We?"

Kyoko's brain cycled through their entire conversation in a single second. He had said something about 'our' favorite daughter earlier. She thought... wasn't he just speaking in the collective? He'd never done that before but, there was no other option. Unless...

He pushed the door open and Kyoko peeked her head out. Her heart raced as she turned down each side of the hall. The first side was empty. For some reason, she almost expected Ren-as-Kuon to be standing on the other end of that hall with the same stupid, beautiful smile he'd been sporting since his transformation.

But it was a different blonde smiling back at her. A woman.

The woman was tall, with long blond hair that shimmered even under the dulling fluorescent office lights. Her clothes, even though they were causal, fit her well and gave her the air of a model. Kyoko was reminded of the awe she'd felt when Honoka-san was a guest on Kimagure Rock. This stranger was easily the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in her entire life. Honoka-san, but like three times prettier, which should have been impossible. There was only one person this could possibly be.

Kyoko took a step back, her breath stolen from her throat. This time, when her brain made connections, they were the right ones. "You're..."

The woman bowed, her movements graceful. "My name is Julie Hizuri. It's nice to finally meet you, Kyoko-chan."

#

"... and now he's Love Me! Section member number four."

They'd skipped lunch when Kyoko decided that it would attract too much attention for them to go to the cafeteria with not just one but two A-Listers tagging along with her. She wasn't going to let herself chicken out and not tell Kuu about Ren-as-Kuon.

So, she told them the story of what'd happened since Kuu left Japan last time (leaving out... some details about the Heel siblings for her own sanity and for Tsuruga-san's privacy). She talked about her creation of Natsu and talked about the Dark Moon wrap party. She talked about what it was like to speak with her mother again. She talked about the auditions and filming of Lotus.

And she left out everything else that's happened since Tsuruga-san became Kuon. Not only did she know she couldn't repeat anything that happened without dissolving into a puddle in front of Kuu and Julie, but she also wanted to keep the moments to herself for a little longer. They didn't need to know about the set mishaps or the kisses on the cheeks or how he had... She forced the thoughts away. They just didn't need to know the specifics.

Julie pursed her lips and leaned across the table, taking Kyoko's hands in her own. "The Love Me! Section is... the section Lory started for you... so you could learn how... how to love again?"

Kyoko cringed. It sounded so nefarious when it was phrased like that. "Something like that, I guess," she said slowly. "I maintain that it's more for cultivating our emotions and expanding as actresses but I think the President is pretty stuck on the original description."

She waved the explanation away. "So, You told Kuo-You told _Tsuruga Ren_ that you wished he was someone else, so he reinvented himself into this... into this 'Kuon' fellow and joined a section that would teach him how to love again?"

Well, when she put it that way... "I guess?"

"I was unaware that Japan's number one bachelor had lost the ability to love," Kuu joked, trying to bring some sort of levity into the situation.

Both of his favorite girls wore the most serious expressions. Especially Julie. That wasn't the face of the woman who just found out that 1) her son was finally ready to adopt his original name again 2) that he was in love with the most wonderful girl on the planet. This was the face of a woman who was worried about something he couldn't place.

Julie ignored her husband's quip and focused on Kyoko. "Well, why would he do that?"

"I don't know." Kyoko sighed. That's been the million-dollar question since she first stumbled upon 'Kuon' in the Love Me! room. "To mock me? Torture me? Something like that?"

"Torture?"

Kyoko shrugged. The torture she was suffering wasn't what normal people would qualify as torture. Not unless cheek kisses and sweet displays of affection from a sweet man she was in love with counted as torture.

"Have you ever considered that maybe he's trying to prove himself to you? That he's more... more than the name Tsuruga Ren?"

"Of course I have, I'm not stupid," she snapped.

She had, in fact, not considered that. Or, she had, but not on the level it appeared Julie wanted her to. Kyoko had known since the Beagle incident in Karuizawa that 'Tsuruga Ren' was nothing more than a stage name. And she'd known that whoever was under his Ren facade had a lot of complicated and potentially tragic past memories.

Except, if he was trying to prove himself as more than Tsuruga Ren, why adopt the name of a character she played when she was with Kuu? Wouldn't it have been more effective to use his own name?

"Then what's the problem?"

Julie's question interrupted her musing. Kyoko turned the question over in her head a few times before taking a deep breath.

"When I realized that..." She sighed. It was time to say the words out loud. She just hoped they wouldn't laugh at her. "When I realized that Tsuruga-san loved me as much as I loved him, it scared me so much. I wanted..." She took a deep breath, trying to still her hands as they shook in Julie's grasp. "I wanted to scare him off if he wasn't being serious."

"Isn't being Kuon showing that he's serious?"

"I didn't mean it like this!" Kyoko cried "I didn't want to destroy his life as Tsuruga Ren! He wasn't supposed to do any of this. He was supposed to... _I don't know_." Her voice broke and tears spilled down her cheeks. The burden and craziness of everything finally wore down on her-broke her. _The_ Tsuruga Ren wasn't supposed to ruin his life for a stupid little girl.

She took a shuddering breath, forcing the thought away. "I just didn't want him to break my heart when he inevitably grew bored with me."

Silence fell between them. Kyoko ducked her eyes to the table and pulled her hands away from Julie, finally. She braced herself for the laughter or knowing chuckles. Heartbreak was inevitable, they would tell her. Because it was. She was betting on heartbreak, in fact, but that didn't stop all of this from hurting as much as it did.

"And has he?" Kuu asked, breaking the quiet. It took everything in him not to whoop and cheer at all of these admissions.

Kyoko blinked, forcing herself to look up. "Has he... what?"

"Broken your heart?"

_Ah_. Kyoko smiled wistfully. "No."

The unspoken 'not yet' dangled in the air.

"But?" Julie prodded.

Kyoko scrunched her nose and wiped the remains of her tears away. "But he hasn't been Tsuruga Ren for months. He's been Kuon. I don't know if it's the same anymore."

"Does he still love you as Kuon?"

Her memories of the past weeks rushed through her head. Like when he took her to his new place when she was delirious with a cold. When he kissed her cheek. When he kissed her on the lips (barely, but it counted in her official kiss tally). Or when he said very plainly, to her face: "I love you, Kyoko" after saving her from an attack from their co-workers.

"I-I don't know?" She lied. It wasn't her place to talk about his feelings to people he didn't know personally.

Julie rolled her eyes. "It's a yes or no question, Kyoko-chan."

_Busted_. Kyoko swallowed hard and amended her answer. "Yes?"

"Do you still love him as Kuon?"

Kyoko's face burned but she kept her lips plastered together. Wasn't it obvious in her distress? Would she really bother them with her personal problems if her love wasn't still a problem? If they couldn't tell...

"Your blush is answer enough." Julie clapped her hands triumphantly. "So, why don't you just accept him instead of making him jump through all of these hoops?"

Kuu reached to his side to quiet his excited wife but the attempt was lost as Kyoko spoke. Her voice was loud, clear, and made no room for misunderstanding. He froze, his hand hovering over Julie's hand.

"Of course I love him still," Kyoko said evenly. "My feelings didn't disappear because of a name change."

She was wrong; Julie and Kuu didn't understand the severity of the situation. This was somehow worse than being told that her love for Tsuruga-san was silly. How could they understand? Both of them are beautiful, important people. They'd been beautiful and important when they'd met, probably. How would they understand the anxieties of a plain girl like her?

"But loving him doesn't do me any good. As long as he stays in Japan, he will be Tsuruga Ren: number one bachelor and actor. It will never matter how many pseudonyms he picks up because eventually, he'll have to return to his obligations as Tsuruga-san. And Kyoko Mogami will never be good enough for any of his identities." She scoffed, pushing herself away from the table. "I'm just another stupid girl who fell for the co-star killer."

Kyoko grabbed her bag and stormed from the Love Me! Room, refusing to let them see the tears streaming down her face.

The door slammed shut behind her.

**~End Chapter Six~ **

**A/N: How ~dramatic~! Two more chapters?! It's about to go down the melodramatic TWISTER, folks. What comes next?**

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review!**


	7. Running Headfirst into the Storm

**Running Headfirst into the Storm**

**A/N: I cannot, will not, stop spreading my love for ASubtleCuddle. **

**But I would also like to extend my social-distanced appreciation for all my other readers and friends. Living in the midst of a pandemic is scary and, honestly, it's hard to see the light at the end of this Willy Wonka Tunnel. Stay safe and healthy, everybody.**

**. . .**

When she got home, Kyoko neglected her responsibilities at the Daruyama to weep quietly in her room. This time her cries didn't fill the building like when Sawara-san told her that she was fundamentally broken as a person. That was a damn breaking. This was a leak springing in the one she'd rebuilt. Her tears contorted her face and shuddered gasps ran up her spine. They didn't shake her into some life-altering revelation like they had at President Takarada's office.

Her cries stripped down the layers of her heart. Since her breakdown before Guam, she thought she was finally living the life of someone who understood love. She stealthily watered her love and encouraged it to grow in the shadow of secrecy. Except, when Tsuruga-san did the unthinkable and actually confessed mutual feelings, it became clear that her love-her precious flower-was nothing more than a plant made out of plastic. Not even a nice fake flower. It was one she could buy at Daiso for 100 yen.

What she had felt wasn't love. Not really. This was a feeling charading as love so she could survive through her time in the Love Me! Section.

She had President Takarada fooled. She had herself fooled. Kyoko loved the idea of Tsuruga Ren. She loved how he treated her. She loved how his presence wrapped her in warmth. That he stayed with her, even after learning all of her ugly parts. She loved that... he was unattainable. Untouchable. That even as she learned all the things about him that nobody else knew, he would remain out of her reach. She never anticipated that the great Tsuruga Ren would ever fall to love her. Love her, maybe, more than she ever thought possible. If what he had was love, how could she ever give him the love he deserved? After all this time in the Love Me! Section, and she still couldn't trust herself to love him. She was still afraid to love Tsuruga-san with all her heart.

She was so, so selfish for dragging everybody into her fear. It wasn't until Julie started asking all those questions, the ones that dug deeply into her chest and tore at her heartstrings, that Kyoko realized a real love had sprouted in her chest. She'd been so distracted with her life that it took someone else to tell her that she was in love.

Her plastic love had been a false start but this was the start of something real. If Tsuruga was willing to do all of this, disrupt his life and embody Kuon, she could test the waters and see where her love took her. She, too, could prove that she was willing to work to be with him. Pushing him away wasn't helping either of them like she thought it would.

There was still something that she needed to understand, something her brain was begging her to see before this feeling could blossom. But she kept running away before her heart could recognize the shape of the missing puzzle piece.

It was time to slow down.

If she didn't, she risked losing Tsuruga-san. He couldn't be Kuon forever. One day he would have to shed his skin and step into his true self, whoever that may be. The only thing she did know is that part of that person, that stranger she was yet to meet, loved her. "Tell me what I'm missing, Tsuruga-san," she whispered into her pillow. She waited, foolishly, for an answer before remembering she was alone. Kyoko groaned, rolling over in bed.

Her thoughts kept her awake through the night. When the morning started to inch in, her eyelids felt like paper and exhaustion settled into her bones. There were only a few hours that remained before she needed to face the world and get back to work.

As much as this had helped focus the chaos that'd consumed her life since Tsuruga Ren's Kimagure Rock interview-the world didn't actually revolve around her love life. All of this would have to wait until her work on Lotus was done for the day. There were only a few days left of shooting before they could wrap; nobody needed her head stuck in the clouds.

_BBZT. BZT. BZ. BZ. BZT. _

Kanae's ringtone shattered the contemplative silence of Kyoko's bedroom. She groped blindly for her cell, racking her brain for all of the reasons her friend would be calling her at 3 AM. The math told her that it was 11 in the morning for Kanae on set in Los Angeles, but that didn't answer any of her questions. She never called until the end of the work day in order to stay respectful of their time differences.

Taking a deep breath, Kyoko accepted the video call request. "Hello?" she mumbled, careful not to speak too loudly with the taisho and okami asleep across the hall. "Is everything okay?"

"So, finally, you figured out how to pick up a phone," Kanae snapped as the call connected, before their cameras came into focus. "I've been calling for hours; I was about to call President Takarada to see if you managed to get yourself roped into another one of his secret plans."

Kyoko cringed, squeezing her eyes shut as she finally registered the dozen missed calls and twenty texts from her best friend present in her notifications. She'd thought it had been her head buzzing from all the crying. It was her phone. "I, uh, I'm sorry, Moko," she said weakly. "It's been weird around here lately."

Kanae's anger softened when her screen finally focused on Kyoko's red-rimmed eyes and tearstained face. Kyoko was always the strong one; she couldn't remember if she'd ever seen Kyoko actually cry. Fake cry and whimper, sure. But never cry. "You want to talk about it?"

She stayed quiet for a minute, mulling it over. The last thing she wanted was to rope yet another person into her problems but she couldn't muster enough resolve to lie.

"It's-nothing?" She scoffed at herself, shaking her head. "It's _everything_, Moko-san. It's like the world has been turned upside down for months and it's up to me to figure out how to make it better"

Kanae hummed. "Are you any closer to your goal?"

Kyoko choked on a laugh, forcing down tears as she smiled wistfully. "No. The Hizuris arrived yesterday."

"Does the president have you waiting on Hizuri-san again?"

"No, no, nothing like that. We... We had a weird talk yesterday afternoon and I walked out on them. But that's the last I heard from them." Kyoko turned on her side, minimizing Kanae's face to scan the popular celebrity news sites. "They're not even in the news. I don't think anybody outside of LME knows that they're even here."

Sighing, Kanae ran a hand over her face. "So, it's true."

"What is?"

"The Hizuris are producing this film. They were supposed to be here for a visit this morning. The entire set was freaking out about it; the director even cancelled the day's shoot for an all call, instead. And then seven am rolled around, and..."

"And they never showed."

She nodded. "The word is that the director got a message that they had a family emergency and would let us know when they could reschedule. I've been calling you ever since."

"Their family emergency was a surprise visit to Japan?" That was weird, Kyoko could admit, but she didn't see what that had to do with Kanae's call. Maybe it was her lack of sleep, but there was something Kanae wasn't saying. And with all the secrets she's been juggling, she'd rather Moko just spit it out. "You, know, I'm not actually related to Kuu. There was no reason to worry about me."

"Worry about... Kyoko, I've been worried about you since you brought up Love Me number 4. But that's not why I called." She took a deep breath. "There's whispers that they left to retrieve their son."

Kyoko's lungs twisted painfully and for a moment, she saw double. "Son?" she croaked. "You don't say."

"You know they have a son, Kyoko."

She did know they had a son. Of course she knew. After Kuu's game, she would argue that out of everybody in Japan, she knew Kuon best. She knew Kuon was a bright boy with so much potential, being the son of two incredibly talented people. She knew Kuon loved his parents deeply, and she guessed he probably also harbored some sort of resentment for them because of the expectations weighing heavy on his identity. She knew that Kuu was still so proud of his Kuon-regardless of their unspoken falling out. And she knew that, one day, Kuon would rise above Kuu and Julie. After all, he'd already surpassed Kuu's portrayal of Katsuki.

Except that last part wasn't Kuon. Not, Kuu's Kuon, at least. It was Tsuruga-san. Kyoko sucked in her breath. How could she have possibly gotten them confused?

Doubt stole the words from her throat. Right, she was supposed to be on the phone with Moko. "But-"

"The whole cast is going off the wall with their theories. They're all talking about how Kuon could never break free from his father's shadow out here. Apparently, a lot of people had thought he died... but there was never a funeral."

Oh.

_Oh, no_.

Of course there wouldn't have been a funeral. Kuon didn't share his father's love of the theatrics. There were, however, other ways to disappear without people noticing. Especially if Kuon was struggling as an actor in the US before... before all of this.

"You want to know what the current theory is?" Kanae asked, chalking up Kyoko's inability to string words together to excitement rather than palpable dread.

Kyoko could barely look her friend in the eye. She swallowed hard. "Sure."

"There's a rumor he was whisked away and is now acting under a different name."

A stage name, she corrected mentally. Because it's been a stage name this entire time. She knew this, too. But she also didn't know that she knew. God, she should have known.

How could she have not realized after all this time? "You think he may be in Japan?" Kyoko asked, unable to hide the tremble in her voice. To think, she had to go into work after all of this. Could she still embody Momiji with all of this weighing on her mind?

"It makes sense, doesn't it? There was really no reason for Kuu Hizuri to be in Japan last time." Kanae said. "He had to have been there for a reason. That press stuff he dragged you to could have all been done over the phone or online."

"Right."

"Was there any time he could have slipped away from you? For a rendezvous with his son?"

"I-" Kyoko took a breath, shaking her head as she held it in her chest. "Possibly."

"Maybe you even met him and didn't even know it," Kanae thought aloud. But Kyoko would have told her about meeting someone new, right? All she remembered from Kyoko's Kuu Hizuri stories was when she pretended to be Kuon and ran into Tsuruga Ren. "They passed around an old picture of him around the set today, from when he was, like, fifteen. Hold on."

"Okay."

Kyoko knew who'd be in the picture long before Kanae turned the phone. She could feel it in her bones, but she couldn't find it in herself to look away as her friend rifled through the papers on her makeup table. She needed to see it for herself.

"Did you meet anyone that looked like this?" Kanae held up a photo of a photo, some scrap from a tabloid circulating the US market. They loved Kuu Hizuri almost as much as Japan did. But they never applied that same love to Kuon-it said as much in the caption beside the grainy photo. 'They could have cultivated something great' in Kuon, it read. But we lost out to racism and expecting children to be carbon-copies of their parents.

It took everything in Kyoko not to burst into tears. Because there he was, all shiny and beautiful. Just like she remembered, albeit a bit older. She slowly let out a sigh. These past few months... he wasn't making fun of her. He was proving herself.

He really was someone that wasn't Tsuruga Ren.

"That's Kuon," she said finally, when it became obvious Moko was waiting for her reaction. Her voice scratched in her throat and the words were barely a whisper. But at least she spoke when she was supposed to.

"I _know_," Kanae said. "But... so do you?" The lack of surprise made that much obvious. Except she couldn't believe Kyoko didn't tell her that she'd met Kuu Hizuri's illusive son!

"That's... Moko, that's _Kuon_. He's Love Me! Number four."

No. President Takarada was notorious for his elaborate plans-but to pull off something like this? Where had he been hiding Kuon Hizuri of all people? In the LME basement? Kanae didn't know if she should be impressed... or terrified. Maybe she should have cut her losses and signed with a smaller agency. "Are... are you sure?"

"He looks exactly like this but aged up, like ten years," Kyoko said. She didn't say anything about his identity of Tsuruga freaking Ren. Not only was it not her place to say anything, but she knew she would combust if she said the words out loud. "It's him... without a doubt."

There was a moment of silence between the two friends. Kyoko looked everywhere but the screen and Kanae stared right at her. Even half of a world away, Kanae could read the expressions on her face. Something happened between Kyoko and Kuon-something she wasn't willing (or ready) to talk about. Kanae sighed. There was no use getting into it now; she couldn't kick Kyoko when she was already down. "Well, I hope you haven't done anything to embarrass yourself in front of Kuu Hizuri's son."

Kyoko flinched. "Kanae, I need to call you back."

She barely hung up before the phone slipped from her fingers, crashing to the ground. The glass splintered into spiderwebs, but Kyoko didn't care. She didn't even care that she hung up on her friend.

Tsuruga Ren was Kuon.

Kuon Hizuri.

Corn.

It had been him the whole time. She'd been so... How did she miss this? From that very first day Tsuruga-san introduced himself as Kuon, she knew something was up. She knew she was missing something. And it was right in front of her this whole time. Even if she missed the first hints, everything should have made sense when she met Kuu again-she shouldn't have needed her best friend to prompt her into the realization.

Kuu! Red crossed her vision. Kuu and Julie listened to her cry and complain, knowing the whole time what she was dealing with. They let her vent her frustration about this whole Kuon situation without once stopping her to say that Tsuruga-san wasn't pretending. That he was Kuon.

They could have told her it was safe to love him.

They didn't.

Kyoko scooped her broken phone up from the ground. The power button brought it back to life in spite of the shattered screen. She jabbed her fingers into the sharp screen, dialling the hotel Kuu stayed in the last time. A pleasant voice greeted her on the other end of the line, forcing her to drop her anger and plaster on her customer service voice. "Hello, I work for LME and I'm looking to deliver a message to Hizuri-san."

The attendant slipped, letting out a squeak. "I'm sorry, uh, miss. But there's nobody checked-in under that name."

"Hozu Shuuhei, then"

"I'm... I'm sorry. Not that name, either."

"I'm family," she bit out. "Can't you at least tell me if someone _was_ checked in by one of those names?"

"Family..." The line went quiet for a moment as the receptionist considered this. Finally, she spoke. "Are you Mogami-san?" she asked.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. She didn't like a stranger knowing her name, but she really couldn't complain. She was an actress, but it was strange to hear her family name from anyone that wasn't close to her. "Yes. This is Mogami Kyoko."

"All right, Kyoko-san. Hizuri-san left a note for you here when they checked out, if you'd like to come in and pick it up."

"Can you read it to me?"

The receptionist bristled. "I, uh, well, that would be an invasion of privacy."

"It's my note. I'm giving you permission." Kyoko sighed. "Look, I'll come down later and show my ID and everything. But I'm trying to catch up to my father because he left without telling me again."

Surprisingly, the lie came easily. Easy enough that it even sounded mostly true to her own ears. If only everything else about this whole situation was this easy.

"I- all right." The line went quiet for a moment and Kyoko heard paper rustling. "It says: Dearest Daughter, We're so sorry that we had to cut our visit short. Please feel free to visit home whenever you find the time. The Boss will have our latest address on file. Sincerest apologies. Love, Mom and Dad-Julie and Kuu Hizuri."

She took a deep breath. Of course the note had to be so innocuous. But she couldn't get mad at the receptionist for the Hizuri's mistakes, not even if she was a meaner person. "Thank you so much for your help," she said stiffly. "I'll be sure to extend my appreciation to your manager." _And an apology for my behavior_, she mentally added.

Kyoko hung up before she could make any more mistakes. Instead, her fingers scrolled through months of her phone log to find the next number she needed to call. It took minutes of passing over calls to the office, from Yashiro, and exchanges between her and Kanae before she found what she was looking for. _TSURUGA REN_, the contact name read. The last message he sent was a request for her to be in the audience for Yappa Kimagure Rock. The message she went out of her way to ignore.

What would have happened if she had someone stand in for Bo that night? Would she still be in this position?

Forcing herself not to go down that rabbit hole, Kyoko held her breath and clicked call.

The connection hesitated and maybe considered connecting, before sending an angry decline beep through the speaker. An automated message spoke to her, cold and uncaring: _We're sorry, the number you reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you think this is a mistake, please redial or call the service provider._

She wasn't surprised; this had to be part of his whole vacation schtick. Except this wasn't a schtick. If she had known this was a more permanent solution to her problem-she would have taken Kuon more seriously. Maybe asked for his phone number because now she had no way to contact him.

She needed to contact him. She needed to know what all of this meant. No hiding. No secrets.

If he still loved her, would she be able to accept him this time? Tears rushed to her eyes but she wiped them away with an amazed chuckle. She didn't have the time to get all blubbery now. Right now...

Right now she needed to talk to Ren.

Kuon.

And there was one person who definitely knew how to get in contact with him. She pulled out her phone and typed out a quick message for Yashiro as she dashed down the stairs: _Emergency meeting with President Takarada, please alert the Lotus set that I'll be missing_. _My deepest apologies; I'll catch you up ASAP_.

She turned off her phone.

#

"Mogami-san, Takarada-san is busy," Ruto said, stepping in front of Kyoko when she burst through the door and started for the President's office.

She barely looked at him as she tried to skirt his blockade. "Is he with someone that I would be embarrassed about interrupting?" she asked.

He hesitated. "No?"

"Then tell him you couldn't stop me."

Ruto wordlessly stepped aside, allowing Kyoko to storm into the President's office. He knew better than to get in her way when she was on a mission. The stories about her stalking Sawara-san were notorious. Being on Kyoko's bad side was arguably worse than being on President Takarada's bad side. And Takarada-san had control over his whole career.

Kyoko breezed past the couches and the TVs and all of Lory's opulent decor. She refused to acknowledge his assistants and back-up dancers rehearsing something in the back corner of the room. In fact, she didn't stop until she was standing in front of his desk at the back of the room. President Takarada was still dressed in his elaborate, shining clothes, but all his accessories were dumped on the neighboring couch. Instead of a bedazzled headpiece, he wore his glasses as he worked, doing paperwork of all things.

"Get me in contact with Tsuruga-san," she said in greeting.

Lory didn't even look up from his paperwork. He continued writing as he spoke. "Tsuruga Ren? He's on vacation now. No service and no interruptions from anyone. Not even you, Mogami-san."

"You can lie to everybody else, but you can't lie to me." Kyoko growled. He was really going to play this game now? "You know as well as I do that he never left the country."

"I don't know about that..." Lory looked up, finally, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. It only took how many months before she stormed into his office? Honestly, he expected her sooner. "What makes you say I'm lying? I'm a very trustworthy person, I'll have you know."

Trustworthy? When had this man ever been trustworthy?

"Tsuruga Ren has been Kuon in the Love Me! Department for weeks," she said. He raised his brows and had the decency to gasp, but Kyoko powered through. The games and secrecy had to end even if she had to rip up the rules herself. "Don't play dumb, Takarada-san. I knew it was him the entire time."

"Oh, did you?"

"Get me in contact with Kuon!"

Lory smiled and set down his pen. Leisurely, as if his favorite actress wasn't angry with him, he leaned back and pulled his legs up on the desk. "Get you in contact with Kuon... or what, Mogami-san?"

"Excuse me?"

"What happens if I don't connect with you with Kuon?" he pressed with a grin. Kyoko stilled. Lory sighed dramatically and motioned out to the door. "What are the stakes? What do you have to gain by getting his number? What do you you have to lose if I refuse?" He raised his brows. "Isn't this supposed to be the part where you threaten to quit acting? To quit LME?"

The walls crashed down. The anger she had been using as energy dissolved into weak defeat. Tears sprung to her eyes and she no longer had the energy to even pretend to hide them. Her entire life was just a game to everybody. A path to follow, filled with inevitable truths and deceit. Everything happened for a reason-except it was clear now. That reason wasn't fate. It was everybody messing with her life because they thought they knew better. When was she going to be able to make her own decisions?

"This isn't one of your dating sims, President Takarada! I'm not going to-I'm not..." She struggled with the words.

"You're not going to...?"

An empty laugh ripped up her throat. "You fucking promised," she whispered. "You _promised _you wouldn't interfere with my love life and yet that's all you know how to do."

Lory's face sobered. He sat up properly, leaning across the desk with an apology on his lips. But Kyoko was faster. "I hate you."

Silence fell over the office. The dancers had filed out at the first sign of the argument and all that was left was Lory and Kyoko staring each other down. Even Ruto kept himself out of it, opting to guard the door instead. There would no interruptions. No-get-out-jail-free cards.

Sighing, Lory ran a hand across his face. "Even if I could get you ahold of Kuon, I couldn't," he said. "Honestly, I would. But even my powers aren't strong enough."

"Why not?"

Crossing his arms, Lory sat back. All the calmness Ren embodied in Japan had disappeared when he insisted on transitioning back to Kuon. He didn't return to the same boy Lory first met when he came to Japan... but it was clear that the persona of Tsuruga Ren no longer applied. Kuon was letting himself feel... not recklessly... but passionately. That's what Lory saw when Kuon called him from the airport.

He saw the same thing in Kyoko, which is why after years in meddling in everybody's affairs, now seemed like the appropriate time to retire. Not LME. But retire in love. His games had taken on a life of their own; Kyoko and Kuon didn't need him anymore.

"He's on a plane to the US," he said finally. "He left without warning... without talking with his parents. That's why Kuu and Julie left. To follow him."

Kyoko didn't need to think about it.

"Get me on the next plane."

**~ End Chapter Seven ~ **

**A/N: One more chapter! Can you believe it? **

**Disclaimer: **_**I **_**can't believe it.**

**Also, as a formal note: I wrote and planned this without thinking of ways to settle the Kimiko incident and I certainly couldn't have predicted the introduction of [redacted] in the last two chapters. Please keep that in mind as I wrap this up! Thanks, everybody, for hanging on with me!**

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review!**


End file.
